By Mark Shenton
05 Dec 2008
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| Derek Jacobi |
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| Photo by Johan Persson |
The production, which will officially open Dec. 10 and run through March 7, 2009, is directed by Michael Grandage (who recently won the Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Director for his Donmar productions of Othello, The Chalk Garden and Ivanov) and stars Derek Jacobi as Malvolio.
The cast also includes Mark Bonnar as Orsino, Ron Cook as Sir Toby Belch, Victoria Hamilton as Viola, Guy Henry as Sir Andrew Aguecheek, Samantha Spiro as Maria, Zubin Varla as Feste and Indira Varma as Olivia. Also in the cast are Norman Bowman, James Howard, Lloyd Hutchinson and Alex Waldmann, as Curio, Valentine, Antonio and Sebastian, respectively.
Jacobi was last seen at Wyndham's in the Donmar transfer of A Voyage Round My Father (directed by Thea Sharrock) in 2006, and has previously worked with Grandage on a production of The Tempest, in which he played Prospero, that transferred from Sheffield Crucible to the Old Vic in 2002, and Don Carlos, in which he played Philip II, in a production that transferred from Sheffield to the West End's Gielgud Theatre in 2005. Jacobi's Broadway credits include The Suicide (1980), Much Ado About Nothing (1984), Cyrano de Bergerac (1984), Breaking the Code (1987) and Uncle Vanya (2000).
Bonnar previously appeared at the Donmar in last year's production of Jason Robert Brown's Parade. Other theatre credits include Three Sisters (at Manchester's Royal Exchange), Lost Highway (ENO at the Young Vic), Philistines and Cyrano de Bergerac (at the National), and Mammals (at the Bush Theatre).
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| Victoria Hamilton |
| photo by Johan Persson |
Henry has previously appeared at the Donmar in Mary Stuart (which subsequently transferred to the West End's Apollo). Other theatre credits include seasons with the RSC, including appearances in All's Well That Ends Well, Antony and Cleopatra, Volpone, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Henry VIII and Cymbeline, as well as The Coast of Utopia trilogy at the National Theatre.
Spiro has previously appeared at the Donmar in Grandage's production of Merrily We Roll Along, and has also worked with him on A Midsummer Night's Dream and As You Like It, both at Sheffield Crucible. She was recently seen as Fanny Brice in Chichester's Minerva Theatre production of Funny Girl.
Varla's recent theatre work includes appearances in The Enchantment, Attempts on Her Life, The Life of Galileo and Cyrano de Bergerac at the National. He has also done seasons with the RSC and appeared in the West End in Jesus Christ Superstar.
Varma has previously appeared at the Donmar in Grandage's productions of both The Vortex and Privates on Parade. Other theatre credits include the UK premiere of David Hare's The Vertical Hour at the Royal Court, Ivanov at the National and Pinter's Celebration at the Almeida.
Also in the cast are Norman Bowman (seen in the Donmar productions of Parade and Guys and Dolls in the West End), James Howard (recently in Ivanov at Wydnham's), Lloyd Hutchinson (most recently seen in The Birthday Party at the Lyric Hammersmith and Rhinoceros at the Royal Court), and Alex Waldmann (seen in Troilus and Cressida at the Barbican and Angry Young Man at the Trafalgar Studios and Edinburgh Festival).
To book tickets contact the box office at 0844 482 5120 or visit www.donmarwestend.com.




