Having previously shown in the West End in 2014, Shakespeare in Love will open for a new venture this autumn at the Theatre Royal Bath before touring a number of UK venues.
Opening on 4th October, the play will go on to visit venues in Nottingham, Malvern, Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh and Chichester, with additional venues to be announced.
Shakespeare in Love: From screen to stage
Young Will Shakespeare has writer’s block… the deadline for his new play is fast approaching; he’s struggling to finish the first line of a sonnet and he’s in dire need of inspiration. Then he meets the beguiling Viola de Lesseps, the beautiful daughter of a wealthy merchant.
Viola is prepared to do anything – including risking the regal disapproval of Queen Elizabeth I – to fulfil her illicit dream of performing on the London stage and pursuing a passionate affair with the greatest playwright of the age.
The new production and UK tour of the critically acclaimed West End play is based on the Oscar-winning film by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard.
The film by the same name, starring Judi Dench, Joseph Fiennes and Gwyneth Paltrow, premiered in 1998 and went on to win seven Academy Awards, including best screenplay. It was adapted for stage by Lee Hall, with music by Paddy Cunneen, and opened for a West End run in 2014 to both critical and public acclaim.
The new stage production is directed by Philip Breen whose previous Royal Shakespeare Company directing credits include comedies The Merry Wives of Windsor and The Shoemaker’s Holiday.
Selected tour dates:
• Theatre Royal Bath: 4th - 13th October
• Nottingham Theatre Royal: 15th - 20th October
• Malvern Festival Theatre: 23rd -27th October
• Oxford playhouse: 30th October -3rd November
• Cambridge Arts Theatre: 5th - 9th November
• King’s Theatre Edinburgh: 12th - 17th November
• Chichester Festival Theatre: 20th - 24th November
Group organisers looking to book tickets should contact their chosen theatres for more details.
For more information, visit www.theatreroyal.org.uk.
