THE BFG, Cyrano de Bergerac and the Forsythes are all coming to the RSC stage in Stratford.
And of course Stratford’s resident playwright Mr Shakespeare also contributes to the autumn and winter programme.
It’s the Bard who gets the season going with Measure For Measure, running from September 13 to October 23.
When her brother falls foul of the state’s rigid morality laws, Isabella is sent to plead for his life. But a world of ambition and base appetite lurks behind the high idealism of public office, and soon the complex relationship between power and private citizen threatens to end Isabella’s life as she knows it.
Cyrano De Bergerac, playing in the Swan from September 27 to November 15, presents the fiercely funny and intensely romantic poet, soldier and philosopher. But behind the veil of wit is one large problem – his nose.
Haunted by doubts and too proud to beg, he watches from the shadows as Roxane – bold, beautiful and seemingly unreachable – falls for another man, Christian. But this handsome, tongue-tied young suitor knows his only hope of charming Roxane is to seduce her with words. And only one person can help…
Olivier Award-winning actor Adrian Lester is Cyrano, while Susannah Fielding returns to the RSC to play Roxane. Levi Brown makes his RSC debut as Christian.
Shakespeare’s story of love, power and ambition, Macbeth, can be seen at the Other Place October 9 to December 6. Daniel Raggett, whose acclaimed Edward II played in the Swan earlier this
year, directs.
After the success of Matilda, the RSC will deliver another Roald Dahl adaption for Christmas, The BFG, playing from November 25 to January 31.
When young orphan named Sophie is snatched by a giant and taken far away to Giant Country, she learns that human-eating giants are guzzling ‘norphans’ the world over.
But she soon discovers that her new friend, the BFG, is different – he’s a dream-catching,
snozzcumber-munching gentle soul who refuses to eat humans. Together they devise a daring plan to save children everywhere.
The Forsythe Saga, Parts 1 & 2, run in the Swan from November 28 to January 10.
John Galsworthy’s Nobel-winning saga about love, ownership and the end of Empire is retold by Lin Coghlan and Shaun McKenna across two plays, spanning over 40 years from 1886 to 1927.
All Is But Fantasy, in the Other Place from January 21 to February 21, sees award-winning artist Whitney White revisit four of Shakespeare’s most famous characters – Lady Macbeth, Juliet, Emilia and Richard III over two performances to a soundtrack of rock, soul, pop and gospel.
The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind, in The Swan from February 10 to March 28, is a new musical telling the true story of William Kamkwamba, who set out to prove the doubters wrong. Hope feels out of reach where the land is thirsty but the rains don’t come. As drought closes in on his family’s farm and the village he loves, everyone prays for a miracle.
Henry V, running from March 14 to April 25, has his eye on the French prize. Henry must unite his country, defeat the French, and prove himself worthy of the crown of England. Does he have what it takes?
Visit www.rsc.org for further details.
