Royal Shakespeare Company associate artist Jo Stone-Fewings, 2014 Evening Standard Award nominee Tanya Moodie, rising star Alex Waldmann and stage and television veteran Joseph Marcell are to appear in Shakespeare’s King John in the Holy Sepulchre Church, Northampton.
The town’s Royal and Derngate is staging the play in a co-production with Shakespeare’s Globe to mark the 800th anniversary year of the Magna Carta.
Jo Stone-Fewings will play King John. His RSC credits include Leontes in The Winter’s Tale in 2013, Duke Orsino in Twelfth Night in 2009 and Lucentio in The Taming of the Shrew in 2000.
Tanya Moodie, who played Rose opposite Lenny Henry in August Wilson’s Fences at the Theatre Royal, Bath and in the West End, plays Constance. She was nominated for Evening Standard best actress for her role in Intimate Apparel by Lynn Nottage at the Theatre Royal, Bath and the Park Theatre in 2014.
Alex Waldmann plays The Bastard in King John. He was Orlando in the RSC production As You Like It in 2013. He was also in two of Michael Grandage’s West End productions, taking the role of Laertes in Hamlet opposite Jude Law in 2009 and Sebastian in Twelfth Night which featured Derek Jacobi in 2008.
Cast as Cardinal Pandulph, Joseph Marcell played the title role in the Globe’s touring production of King Lear in 2013 but will perhaps be best known as Geoffrey Butler from the US TV series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Barbara Marten, who played Gertrude opposite Maxine Peake in Hamlet at Manchester Royal Exchange in 2014, will play Eleanor of Aquitaine.
The cast also includes Laurence Belcher as both Arthur and Prince Henry, Simon Coates, Aruhan Galieva, Mark Meadows, Ciaran Owens, Daniel Rabin and Giles Terera.
Royal and Derngate’s artistic director James Dacre will direct King John in the 12th century Holy Sepulchre Church which King John and his court are said to have often visited.
Partly set in Northampton, Shakespeare’s early history play charts a king's struggle to retain the crown against claims that he is not the rightful heir.
Written during a time of great political uncertainty, King John explores in this election year whether the power struggles of the ruling class have changed.
King John will be performed in Holy Sepulchure Church, Sheep Street, Northampton from Friday 24 April until Saturday 16 May. It will also visit Temple Church in London, Salisbury Cathedral and Shakepeare’s Globe.