Corin Redgrave previews his King Lear at the Albery beginning Jan. 13, following the RSC’s Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet at the same address. And the Playhouse, Arts and Soho theatres are also preparing to welcome the Stratford-siders.
Redgrave will follow his run as Lear with the solo show , Tynan, another irascible theatrical character — this one historical, the theatre critic Kenneth Tynan. Running from Feb. 17 until March 26, Richard Nelson and Colin Chambers’ play is based on the critic’s diaries, which were notorious for Tynan’s sexual revelations.
Nelson will direct the show, first seen at Stratford’s Swan Theatre in October 2004. It is produced by The Arts Theatre and Fiery Angel Ltd. Tom Piper designs, with costume design by Tynan’s daughter Tracey Tynan.
Tynan ran in the RSC’s New Writing season, and two other plays from the season will also make the jump southwards. Zinnie Harris’ Midwinter and Joanna Laurens’s Poor Beck will both open at the Soho.
Midwinter — about a man returning to his family after a war, to find things altered from when he left — will play ten performances beginning March 8. The cast includes Pal Aron, Ruth Gemmell, Sean Hannaway and John Normington. Piper designs, with music by John Harris. Poor Beck, a version of Ovid’s myth of Myrrah, will play 12 performances beginning March 10. Daniel Fish directs, with designs by Andrew Lieberman. The cast includes Greg Hicks, Sian Brooke, Louise Bangay and Louis Hilyer.
Meanwhile, the RSC’s Spanish Golden Age season is also transferring to the Playhouse for the new year. House of Desires by Sor Ines de la Cruz (in a new translation by Catherine Boyle), will play between Jan. 27 and March 21. Nancy Meckler directs. Lope de Vega’s The Dog in the Manger, directed by Laurence Boswell, will play between Jan. 21 and March 25. Pedro, The Great Pretender by Michael Cervantes will play between Feb. 14 and March 12. Mike Alfreds directs.
The Spanish Golden Age ensemble includes William Buckhurst, James Chalmers, Joseph Chance, Claire Cox, Julius D’Silva, Rebecca Johnson, Katherine Kelly, Malanie MacHugh, Joseph Millson, Vinta Morgan, Emma Pallant, Oscar Pearce, John Ramm, Peter Sproule, John Stahl, Simon Trinder, Joanna Van Kampen, John Wark and Oliver Williams.
