Brecht's Galileo has traditionally been a powerhouse vehicle for star actors. Broadway stars to have tackled it include Charles Laughton and Anthony Quayle, while West Enders include Michael Gambon and Richard Griffiths, and Brian Dennehy had a go at the role in Chicago. The play was written by Brecht just before World War Two, and focuses of Galileo's decision to bow to the wishes of the church authorities, who feared the impact of his discovery that the Earth revolves around the Sun, and not the other way around. David Hare penned this "version" of Brecht's work.
Beale is known in the U.K. and the U.S. for his performances in Jumpers, Hamlet, Twelfth Night, Uncle Vanya and Money.
Howard Davies directs a cast which features Ryan Watson, Bryan Dick, Elisabeth Dermot Walsh, Julia Ford, Zubin Varla, Dermot Kerrigan, Duncan Bell, Bertie Carvel, Tim McMullan, Jamie Manton, Tristan Beint, Ian Barritt, Simon Merrells, Christopher Gilling, Amit Shah, Oliver Ford Davies, Andrew Woodall, Sam Spruell, Marcus Cunningham, Sarah Annis, Natalie Best, Lucy Vandi and Steven Williams.
Galileo will run until Oct. 31. It will open July 6.