Sir Trevor Nunn's final season as artistic director of the National Theatre has been announced.

The Duchess of Malfi
Phyllida Lloyd directs The Duchess of Malfi, by John Webster, in the Lyttelton Theatre. Previews begin on Jan. 18, 2003, with a press night on Tuesday, Jan. 28.

Janet McTeer will star in a production designed by Mark Thompson, with lighting by Mark Henderson, music by Gary Yershon and sound design by Simon Baker for Autograph. McTeer will play the title role. The cast also includes Lorcan Cranitch (as Bosola), Eleanor David (Julia), Charles Edwards (Antonio), James Howard, Will Keen (Ferdinand), Penelope McGhie, Sally Rogers (Cariola) and Jonathan Slinger (Delio).

The Duchess of Malfi is one of the great Jacobean revenge tragedies, in which a young widow's refusal to obey her brothers' command never to remarry has disastrous, bloody results. Love's Labour's Lost
Trevor Nunn directs Shakespeare's comedy Love's Labour's Lost (press night Feb. 21), performed in repertory with Anything Goes in the Olivier by many of the same actors. The designer will be John Gunter, with lighting by David Hersey. The cast includes John Barrowman (Dumaine), Simon Day (King of Navarre), Anthony Cable, Paul Grunert, Richard Henders, Akiya Henry, Tam Mutu, Denis Quilley (Boyet) and Robin Soans (Holofernes).

Love's Labour Lost, in which the young King of Navarre and his three friends make a vow to deny themselves the company of women for three years in order to devote themselves to study — only to find themselves immediately tested to breaking point — is a work of wit, sophistication and romance. This will be the National's first production of this early masterpiece on the South Bank.

Honour
Honour by Joanna Murray-Smith begins previews on Feb. 21 and has a press night on Feb. 27. Eileen Atkins and Corin Redgrave star in a production directed by Roger Michell, designed by William Dudley, with lighting by Rick Fisher.

By turns funny and desperately sad, Joanna Murray-Smith's play anatomizes marriage, or rather the failure of a marriage, with astonishing clarity.

Corin Redgrave was seen at the National earlier this year in No Man's Land, while Roger Michell's National Theatre work includes Blue/Orange, Under Milk Wood and The Homecoming.

Pericles
The Ninagawa Company presents Shakespeare's Pericles translated by Kazuko Matsuoka, in the Olivier Theatre for ten performances only, from Friday, March 28 (press night) to Saturday, April 5.

Directed by Yukio Ninagawa, the cast includes Masaaki Uchino, Yuko Tanaka, Kayoko Shiraishi, Tetsuro Sagawa and Masachika Ichimura.

The designer is Tsukasa Nakagoshi, with costumes by Lily Komine, lighting by Tamotsu Harada and sound by Masahiro Inoue.

The production is presented by Thelma Holt Ltd. in association with Horipro Inc. and Saitama Arts Centre.

When Pericles, Prince of Tyre, solves the dark riddle set by the King of Antioch, he is forced to flee the country. Shipwrecked on the shores of Pentapolis, he weds Princess Thaisa, only to be parted in another sea-storm . . . His miraculous story takes place over 16 years and encompasses love, loss, incest, prostitution, kidnap and reconciliation.

Yukio Ninagawa first visited the National with his celebrated productions of Macbeth and Medea in 1987, returning with Suicide for Love in 1989. In 2002 Ninagawa was awarded an honorary CBE.

The production is in Japanese. There will be no simultaneous translation, but a full plot synopsis will be available.

-By Paul Webb Theatrenow