David Oyelowo, Meera Syal, Emma D’Arcy and Tobias Menzies are among the actors leading a trio of fall productions at the U.K.’s National Theatre in London.
At the National Theatre’s Olivier Theater, David Oyelowo (“Selma”) will play the title role of Shakespeare’s “Coriolanus,” directed by Lyndsey Turner (“Under Milk Wood”). In the play, Coriolanus is Rome’s greatest soldier. When a legendary victory brings the opportunity of high office, he is persuaded to stand for election. But while populist politicians tell the people what they want to hear, Coriolanus refuses to play the game. As Rome’s most celebrated warrior becomes its most dangerous enemy, the future of the city and its hero hangs in the balance.
The cast also includes Luke Aquilina, Anushka Chakravarti, Anton Cross, Patrick Elue, Peter Forbes, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Conor McLeod, Jordan Metcalfe, Richard Pryal, Jordan Rhys, Stephanie Street and John Vernon. The play runs Sept. 11-Nov. 9.
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At the National Theatre’s Dorfman Theater, Meera Syal (“Behind the Beautiful Forevers”) will lead the world premiere of Tanika Gupta’s (“A Doll’s House”) “A Tupperware of Ashes,” a family drama about life, immigration and the Indian spiritual cycle of death and rebirth to be directed by Pooja Ghai (“The Empress”).
In the play, an ambitious Michelin-star chef is used to having the last word. But when her children notice gaps in her memory and her grip on reality loosening, they are faced with an impossible choice. As they battle to reconcile their life-long duty to their mother, the ramifications of their decision take on a heartbreaking permanence. The cast also includes Raj Bajaj, Natalie Dew, Marc Elliott, Stephen Fewell, Shobna Gulati, Avita Jay, Meera Syal and Zubin Varla.
Following the Sept. 25- Nov. 16 run of the play, the Dorfman Theater will close for infrastructure work, made possible by investment from the U.K. government in the spring budget.
At the National Theatre’s Lyttelton Theater, Lee Braithwaite (“Cowbois”), Emma D’Arcy (“House of the Dragon”), Jeremy Killick (“The Confessions”), Tobias Menzies (“Game of Thrones”) and Nina Sosanya (“Love Actually”) will star in a new play inspired by “Antigone” titled “The Other Place,” in association with A Zeldin Company.
Playing from Sept. 27-Nov. 9, “The Other Place” has been written and will be directed by Alexander Zeldin (“The Confessions”). In the play, two sisters reunite on the anniversary of the death of their father. Their uncle has remodeled their family home, in an attempt at a fresh start. But one sister’s sudden reappearance threatens to shatter this fragile idyll as she demands justice for the pain she carries.
Rufus Norris, director of the National Theatre, said: “These shows exemplify what we strive to do here at the National Theatre: to reinvestigate classics with Lyndsey Turner’s fresh take on Shakespeare’s ‘Coriolanus’ in the Olivier; reimagine old stories into new plays that speak to audiences today with Alexander Zeldin’s ‘The Other Place’ after ‘Antigone’ in the Lyttelton; and staging new work from contemporary voices with Tanika Gupta’s ‘A Tupperware of Ashes’ with Meera Syal in the central role in the Dorfman Theatre. It is a rich slate exploring resonant stories and I cannot wait to share them with you all.”
