The full cast and creative team has been announced for the world première of a stage adaptation of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, a Touring Consortium Theatre Company and Northampton Royal and Derngate co-production.
As previously announced, Sophie Ward will play Margaret Mond, the regional world controller for western Europe—a character that was a man, Mustapha Mond, in the novel.
Olivier Award winner Abigail McKern, last seen in Northampton in A Tale of Two Cities and who played Henslowe and the nurse in Shakespeare in Love at the Noël Coward Theatre in the West End in 2014, takes the role of Linda.
The rest of the cast includes Olivia Morgan (Macbeth, Trafalgar Studios, London and The Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare’s Globe), William Postlethwaite (King Lear, Bath Theatre Royal and John Hodge’s Collaborators, National Theatre) as John the Savage, Scott Karim (The Prince of Morocco in The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare’s Globe and Great Britain by Richard Bean at the National Theatre) as Helmholtz Watson, Gruffudd Glyn (Three Sisters, Young Vic and Hamlet, RSC) as Bernard, Theo Ogundipe as Benito, Samantha Pearl as Polly, James Howard as the director and David Burnett as Henry.
The play is directed by Royal and Derngate’s artistic director James Dacre. It has been adapted for the stage by Dawn King. Original music is by These New Puritans.
Designer is Naomi Dawson whose recent credits include The Roaring Girl, King John and As You Like It for the RSC. Frantic Assembly’s Eddie Kay is movement director. Lighting design is by Colin Grenfell with sound design by George Dennis. Video designer is Keith Skretch and fight direction is by RC Annie.
Brave New World opens at Royal and Derngate on Friday 4 September. Press night will be on Tuesday 8 September. It continues until Saturday 26 September. The production will then go on a UK tour.