Justin Audibert is to return to the Royal Shakespeare Company to direct “what promises to be a magically festive show for the whole family”, The Box of Delights.
Audibert directed Piers Torday’s reimagining of John Masefield’s children’s classic at Wilton’s Music Hall in 2017. It tells the story of orphaned schoolboy Kay Harker who finds himself the guardian of a small wooden box with powers beyond his wildest dreams. Caught up in a battle between two powerful magicians, Kay fights to save not just the people he loves but also the future of Christmas.
Audibert said, “I’m delighted to have the opportunity to work on The Box of Delights again, this time creating a bigger and even more spectacular production for the Royal Shakespeare Theatre stage.
“It’s a show that features trains, boats, planes, mythical creatures, a good and a very bad magician and characters that magically turn into tiny versions of themselves, characters that transform into animals that fly through the air and swim in the sea—how exciting is that? We’re telling the story through the imagination of a child, so the staging promises to be a fantastic mix of the inventive and the breathtaking.
“In many ways, The Box of Delights was the first fantasy story for children. With its classic good versus evil narrative and three young children as the heroes, you can see its influence on books like the Harry Potter series.”
Taking on the roles of the three children in the story are Callum Balmforth as Kay Harker and Mae Munuo as the fearless Maria Jones, both of whom will make their RSC debuts, and Jack Humphrey, who returns to the RSC to play the far from fearless Peter Jones.
Stephen Boxer will return to the RSC to play Grandpa, Ramon Lully and Cole Hawlings. Richard Lynch will play the villainous magician Abner while Nia Gwynne and Claire Price will share the role of Sylvia Daisy Pouncer, Abner’s criminal sidekick.
The rest of the cast comprises Nana Amoo-Gottfried (Joe / ensemble), Melody Brown (Mayor / Dame Eleanor of Chasuble / ensemble), Alex Cardall (ensemble / puppeteer), Tom Chapman (rat / puppeteer), Janet Etuk (Herne the Hunter), Tom Kanji (Charles), Annette McLaughlin (Caroline Louisa), Molly Roberts (Ellen / The Head / ensemble), Rhiannon Skerritt (ensemble / puppeteer), Timothy Speyer (Bishop / ensemble) and Rosie Wyatt (papergirl / Duchess of Musborough / ensemble).
Joining Audibert on the creative team are designer Tom Piper, Prema Mehta (lighting), Ed Lewis (music), Claire Windsor (sound), Simon Pittman (movement), Nina Dunn and Matthew Brown (video), Samuel Wyer (puppetry), Kev McCurdy (fights), Réjane Collard-Walker (dramaturg) and Matthew Dewsbury CDG (casting).
The Box of Delights will run in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford from Tuesday 31 October until Sunday 7 January 2024.