Former Donmar Warehouse artistic director Michael Grandage has announced a new all-star West End season at The Noël Coward Theatre, London as he launches his new Michael Grandage Company with producer James Bierman.
Running from December 2012 to February 2014, the five plays, all directed by Grandage, consist of two Shakespeare plays, two twentieth century pieces and a brand new play. Bierman and Grandage said, "We are delighted to announce the inaugural season of work for the Michael Grandage Company—a programme comprised of new writing alongside the classical and twentieth century repertoire".
Opening the season on 1 December and running to 2 March 2013 is Peter Nichols's Privates On Parade with music by Denis King, starring Simon Russell Beale as the cross-dressing Captain Terri Dennis who performs from the repertoires of Marlene Dietrich, Vera Lynn and Carmen Miranda.
Following this will be the world première of Peter and Alice by John Logan about a meeting of Alice Liddell Hargreaves—Lewis Carroll's original Alice—and Peter Llewelyn Davies—J M Barrie's model for Peter Pan—at the opening of a Lewis Carroll exhibition in 1932. Running from 9 March to 1 June, the production will star Judi Dench as Alice and Ben Wishaw as Peter.
Daniel Ratcliffe returns to the London stage from 8 June to 31 August in the title role of a revival of Martin McDonagh's The Cripple of Inishmaan. Radcliffe is Cripple Billy, who is desperate to be in the Hollywood film currently being made on the neighbouring island of Inishmore.
The first of the Shakespeare productions will star Sheridan Smith as Titania and David Walliams as Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream, running from 7 September to 16 November, and the the season will end with Jude Law in the title role of Henry V from 23 November to 15 February 2014.
The season is presented with some accompanying schemes to widen access to them. Grandage and Bierman explain, "At its heart is a commitment to reach out to as wide an audience as possible with over 200 tickets for each performance at £10—over 100,000 across the season—and through our schools and access work we aim to appeal to new theatregoers and help build audiences for the future. This unique West End season brings together writers, actors and other artists in a single venture over fifteen months dedicated to presenting work of the highest quality at affordable prices."
For more information on the new company, see www.MichaelGrandageCompany.com.