Royal Shakespeare Company is readying to present a new version of W. Somerset Maugham's The Constant Wife, reimagined by playwright Laura Wade. Co-Artistic Director Tamara Harvey will direct, with performances running June 20-August 2 at the U.K. company's Swan Theatre in Stratford-Upon-Avon. Opening night will be July 1.
Grey's Anatomy star Kate Burton will star as Mrs. Culver, joining the previously announced Rose Leslie as Constance Middleton. Also newly joining the cast are Raj Bajaj as Bernard Kersal, Emma McDonald as Marie-Louise Durham, Mark Meadows as Bentley, Daniel Millar as Mortimer Durham, Amy Morgan as Martha, and Luke Norris as John Middleton. Understudies Connor Going and Jess Nesling will round out the company. Casting is by Charlotte Sutton.
The play, which premiered in 1926, follows Constance, whose idyllic if unusual life (including a beloved family, challenging career, and a devoted husband she shares with his mistress) is threatened when societal expectations are pitted against her stubborn will to do as she pleases. The production reunites Harvey and Wade after their Olivier-winning Home, I'm Darling.
鈥淚 am so excited to welcome our company for The Constant Wife to the rehearsal room, bringing together internationally renowned talent, new voices making their RSC debuts, as well as some familiar faces," says Harvey in a statement. "We are thrilled to welcome Kate Burton, who received a Tony Award nomination for her portrayal of Constance on Broadway in 2005, and who now returns to the play as Constance鈥檚 mother Mrs. Culver. I can鈥檛 wait to discover what her experience of the play will bring to the room."
The production will feature scenic and co-costume design by Anna Fleischle, co-costume design by Cat Fuller, lighting design by Ryan Day, music by Jamie Cullum, sound design by Claire Windsor, and movement and intimacy direction by Annie-Lunnette Deakin-Foster.
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