A stage adaptation of Aldous Huxley’s ground-breaking novel Brave New World is to have its world première at Northampton’s Royal and Derngate before going on a national tour.
As previously announced, Sophie Ward will play Margaret Mond, the regional world controller for Western Europe, a character who was the male Mustapha Mond in the novel.
The cast of this co-production between Royal and Derngate and Touring Consortium Theatre Company also includes David Burnett as Henry, Gruffudd Glyn as Bernard, James Howard as the Director, Scott Karim as Helmholtz Watson, Abigail McKern as Linda, Olivia Morgan as Lenina, Theo Ogundipe as Benito, Samantha Pearl as Polly and William Postlethwaite as John the Savage.
Brave New World is set in the future when a genetically engineered class system has brought order and stability to the world. It has no family, religion or war. Lust and pleasure have replaced love and art. People are safe, healthy and not afraid of death. They get what they want and they never want what they cannot have. Everyone is happy. When this stability is threatened, a young woman learns the pain of love and a young man gives in to the love of pain.
The play, adapted for the stage by Dawn King, is directed by Royal and Derngate’s artistic director James Dacre with original music by These New Puritans. The production is designed by Naomi Dawson, with Frantic Assembly’s Eddie Kay as movement director.
Brave New World runs at Royal and Derngate from Friday 4 until Saturday 26 September. Press night will be Tuesday 8 September.
The production then tours to Oxford Playhouse, Nottingham’s Theatre Royal, Cheltenham’s Everyman Theatre, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, Darlington Civic Theatre, Blackpool Grand Theatre and Bradford Alhambra Theatre until 5 December.