John Simm to Star in Three Days in the Country at National Theatre; Dates Announced for Other New Productions | Playbill

News John Simm to Star in Three Days in the Country at National Theatre; Dates Announced for Other New Productions Further details have been added to the previously announced slate of opening productions for the beginning of Rufus Norris's debut season at the helm of the National Theatre.

  • 

John Simm will lead the cast of Patrick Marber's Three Day in the Country, a new version of Turgenev's A Month in the Country, beginning performances July 21 prior to an official opening July 28 in the Lyttelton Theatre, for a run in repertoire through Oct. 21. Simm's film and television credits include "Life on Mars" and "Dr Who," and he was last seen on stage in The Hothouse at the Trafalgar Studios and Hamlet at Sheffield's Crucible. Also in the cast are Amanda Drew, Gawn Grainger and Cherrelle Skeete.

    The production will be designed by Mark Thompson, with lighting by Neil Austin, music and sound by Adam Cork and movement by Polly Bennett. It is being produced in association with Sonia Friedman Productions.

  • 

Timberlake Wertenbaker's Our Country's Good will begin performances Aug. 19 prior to an official opening Aug. 26 in the Olivier Theatre, for a run in repertoire through Oct. 17. It will be directed by Nadia Fall, with designs by Peter McKintosh, lighting by Neil Austin, choreography by Arthur Pita and sound by Carolyn Downing.


    Advertisement


  • 

Duncan Macmillan's People, Places and Things will begin performances Aug. 25 prior to an official opening Sept. 1 in the Dorfman Theatre. Co-produced with Headlong Theatre, who have previously also staged Earthquakes in London and The Effect at the National, it will be directed by Headlong's artistic director Jeremy Herrin, with set design by Bunny Christie, costumes by Christina Cunningham, lighting by James Farncombe and sound by Tom Gibbons. 

Here's how the plot of People, Places and Things is described in press materials: "Emma was having the time of her life. Now she’s in rehab. Her first step is to admit that she has a problem. But the problem isn’t with Emma, it’s with everything else. She needs to tell the truth. But she’s smart enough to know that there’s no such thing." Macmillan's Every Brilliant Thing recently completed an off-Broadway run at Barrow Street Theatre; his other plays include his version of Orwell's 1984, adapted with Robert Icke, that played in the West End and on tour, Lungs, Don Juan Comes Back from the War and Monster.

  • Alistair McDowell's Pomona, originally premiered at Richmond's Orange Tree Theatre in 2014, transfers to the National's Temporary Theatre, beginning performances Sept. 10 prior to an official opening Sept. 14 for a run through Oct. 10, before then transferring on to Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre for a run form Oct. 29 to Nov. 21. 

Directed by Ned Bennett and designed by Georgia Lowe, with lighting by Elliott Griggs, sound by Giles Thomas and movement by Polly Bennett, it is described in press materials as a sinister and surreal thriller. Ollie's sister is missing. Searching Manchester in desperation, she finds all roads lead to Pomona, an abandoned concrete island at the heart of the city. Here at the centre of everything, journeys end and nightmares are born.

  • 

Jane Eyre, a theatrical version of Charlotte Brontë's novel that was first seen at Bristol Old Vic in two parts, will transfer to the National's Lyttelton Theatre, now presented as a single performance, beginning performances Sept. 8 prior to an official opening Sept. 17. Directed by Sally Cookson and devised by the company, the cast includes Benji Bower, Will Bower, Craig Edwards, Felix Hayes, Phil King, Melanie Marshall, Simone Saunders, Maggie Tagney and Madeleine Worrall. The production has set designs by Michael Vale, costumes by Katie Sykes, lighting by Aideen Malone, music by Benji Bower, sound by Mike Beer, movement by Dan Canham and dramaturgy by Mike Akers. It will return to Bristol Old Vic in Jan. 2016.

  • wonder.land, a new musical inspired by Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland," with music by Damon Albarn and book and lyrics by Moira Buffini, will begin performances in the Olivier Theatre Nov. 27, prior to an official opening that is still to be announced. Prior to London, it will be premiered at the Manchester International Festival in a run from June 29 to July 12. In June 2016 it will also visit the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. 

Directed by Rufus Norris, it will be designed by Rae Smith, with projections by 59 Productions, costumes by Katrina Lindsay, lighting by Paule Constable, sound by Paul Arditti and choreography by Javier De Frutos. The music supervisor is David Shrubsole.

    Public booking for Three Days in the Country, Our Country’s Good, Jane Eyre, wonder.land and Pomona opens April 20, and for People, Places and Things June 19.

    

To book tickets, contact the box office on 020 7452 3000 or visit nationaltheatre.org.uk

  •  
    Today’s Most Popular News:
     X

    Blocking belongs
    on the stage,
    not on websites.

    Our website is made possible by
    displaying online advertisements to our visitors.

    Please consider supporting us by
    whitelisting playbill.com with your ad blocker.
    Thank you!