An all South African production of the West End smash hit comedy Shakespeare in Love comes to the Fugard Theatre with the best of this country’s acting talent.
Written by Lee Hall and adapted from the Academy Award-winning (1999) screenplay by Tom Stoppard and Marc Norman, the comedy ran for an extended sold out season at the West End’s Noel Coward Theatre in London in 2014.
This South African premiere features 21 actors, and a dog, and is directed by the Fugard Theatre’s resident director Greg Karvellas (The Father, Clybourne Park, Bad Jews, CHAMP).
The cast
Shakespeare in Love features Dylan Edy (New Boy, Hamlet, Origins) as Will Shakespeare with Roxane Hayward (Blood Drive, Saints and Strangers) as Viola de Lessops, and includes Cape Talk’s John Maytham as Fennyman.
Multiple award-winner Robyn Scott (London Road, Elizabeth 1- Almost By Chance a Woman) stars as Queen Elizabeth and Jason Ralph (The Phantom of the Opera (World Tour), Chicago) as Lord Wessex; Richard Wright-Firth (Robin Hood, Vacancy) as Robin; Bianca Flanders (District Six Kanala, Orpheus in Africa) as Mistress Quickly; Theo Landey (The Play That Goes Wrong; The History Boys) as Marlowe; Nicholas Pauling (The Father, A Steady Rain, Clybourne Park) as Ned Allen; Sven Ruygrok (The Mother, Epstein, Spud) as Sam and Mark Elderkin (Twelfth Night, Champ) as Burbage.
Completing the ensemble are Lucy Tops (Funny Girl, The Rocky Horror Show, Bar None) as Nurse; Nathan Lynn (Raiders: The Musical, Pride and Prejudice) as John Webster; Louis Viljoen (The Play That Goes Wrong, The Frontiersmen) as Mr Wabash; Darron Araujo (Champ, The Taming of the Shrew) as Henslowe; Adrian Collins (Bench, King Lear) as Ralph; Sizo Mahlangu (Otello) as Lambert; Walter van Dyk (Arms and the Man [Watford Palace Theatre UK], A Flea in her Ear [Old Vic Theatre] UK) as Tilney and Andrew Roux (Wit, Macbeth) as Nol.
Set design Paul Wills
Set Design is by Paul Wills (King Kong, A Human Being Died That Night), Costume Design by Birrie Le Roux (King Kong, Funny Girl, West Side Story) with Lighting Design by Wolf Britz (Die Seemeeu; Wie’s Bang vir Virginia Woolf?) and Sound Design by Charl Johan Lingenfelder (West Side Story, King Kong, Funny Girl, Cabaret).
The story
Young Will Shakespeare has writer’s block … the deadline for his new play is fast approaching but he is in desperate need of inspiration. That is, until he finds his muse – Viola. This beautiful young woman is Will’s greatest admirer and will stop at nothing (including breaking the law) to appear in his next play.
Against a bustling background of mistaken identity, ruthless scheming and backstage theatrics, Will’s love for Viola quickly blossoms and inspires him to write his greatest masterpiece.
Shakespeare in Love is an imaginative, sexy and timeless tale behind the creation of the greatest love story ever told in the sixteenth century for the 21st century.
What: Shakespeare In Love
Where and when: The Fugard Theatre, Cape Town, from 10 October to 25 November 2017
Book: Computicket and the Fugard Theatre box office at 021 461 4554
WS
