Adrian Edmondson will make his Royal Shakespeare Company debut as Malvolio in Twelfth Night, one of the highlights of the RSC’s 2017 winter season in Stratford.
Kara Tointon will play Olivia. She played Rosalie Selfridge in the ITV drama series Mr Selfridge and earlier in 2017, she appeared in the UK tour of Patrick Hamilton’s Gaslight.
John Hodgkinson, who was Don Armado in Christopher Luscombe’s Love’s Labour’s Lost and Prince Don Pedro in Much Ado About Nothing in 2014, returns to the RSC to play Sir Toby Belch.
Dinita Gohil will make her RSC debut as Viola and Vivien Parry will play Maria. The cast also includes Esh Alladi (Sebastian), Nicholas Bishop (Orsino), Tom Byrne (Valentine), Sally Cheng (kitchen maid), Michael Cochrane (Sir Andrew Aguecheek), James Gant (police inspector / manservant / footman), Beruce Khan (Festé), Verity Kirk (parlour maid), Luke Latchman (Curio), Joseph Prowen (footman / police officer / station porter), Giles Taylor (Antonio), Sarah Twomey (Fabia) and Jamie Tyler (sea captain / police officer / station master).
Christopher Luscombe who directs said, “the great challenge of Twelfth Night is to reconcile its melancholy and joyful elements. I'm delighted to say that we've found an exceptional cast who, I believe, can do full justice to the play's dazzling emotional range.”
Design is by Simon Higlett with lighting by Tim Mitchell. Music is by Nigel Hess and sound by Jeremy Dunn. Movement is by Jenny Arnold and fights by Kevin McCurdy.
Twelfth Night will be performed in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre from Thursday 2 November until 24 February 2018. Press night will be Thursday 9 November.