By James Inverne
01 Dec 2003

The West End has been remarkably successful in recent seasons in finding brilliant young actresses not long out of drama school.

  The slew of starlets has been astonishing. Peter Hall, ever a keen unearther of new talents (he's previously championed Victoria Hamilton, currently appearing in Sweet Panic at the Duke Of York's), discovered the impressive Emily Blunt for The Royal Family last year at the Haymarket—a youngster who managed not to pale next to the shining lights of Judi Dench, Harriet Walter and Julia McKenzie. Then came Lisa Dillon, superbly manipulating Patrick Stewart in The Master Builder at the Albery this season.

Now RSC director Peter Gill reckons he's found another one. Sian Brooke has been lined up to play Juliet to Matthew Rhys's Romeo for the company. The production will start at Stratford on March 25, 2004. Despite graduating from RADA only last year, Brooke has already been seen in Franco Zeffirelli's production of Pirandello's Absolutely (Perhaps) and is also set to take the lead in Joanna Laurens's new RSC play, Poor Beck.