Nancy Meckler, the first woman to direct at the National Theatre and currently joint artistic director of Shared Experience, returns to the Royal Shakespeare Company to direct Shakespeare's comic romance All's Well That Ends Well.
RSC associate artists Greg Hicks and Jonathan Slinger play the King of France and Parolles respectively while Charlotte Cornwell takes the role of The Countess.
Nancy Meckler said, “When I was invited to direct All's Well That Ends Well, I was excited to hear that the wonderful Jonathan Slinger was to be in the company.
“We had a terrific experience working on The Comedy of Errors together and I knew he would be perfect casting for Parolles the braggart, the man who is all words and little substance.
“And Charlotte Cornwell, who many years ago played Rosalind for the RSC, has returned to the British stage after a long absence to give us her Gertrude in Hamlet and the Countess in All’s Well That Ends Well.
“I am loving the fact that All’s Well That Ends Well is a play that isn’t well known. Coming to it fresh, I am discovering its charm, its humour and its complex view of human nature.”
Nancy Meckler's last production for the RSC was the world première of Helen Edmundson's The Heresy of Love in 2012.
Other RSC work includes: Romeo and Juliet, The Comedy of Errors, House of Desires and A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Jonathan Slinger, who is also playing the lead in Hamlet this season, returns to the RSC after roles in the What Country Friends Is This? trilogy as part of the World Shakespeare Festival in 2012.
His other recent roles at the RSC include the lead in Michael Boyd's Macbeth and Lenny in The Homecoming by Harold Pinter in 2011.
Greg Hicks was last at the RSC in 2010 when he performed in three productions: as Leontes in The Winter's Tale and the title roles in both Julius Caesar and King Lear.
Charlotte Cornwell returns to the RSC along with Alex Waldmann who plays Bertram and Joanna Horton who is Helena in All’s Well That Ends Well.
The cast also includes Karen Archer (widow); Cliff Burnett (Rynaldo); Kiza Deen (Violenta / attendant); Daniel Easton (soldier / ward); David Fielder (Lafew); Dave Fishley Duke of Florence); Michael Grady-Hall (soldier interpreter); Rosie Hilal (Mariana); Mark Holgate (First Lord Dumaine); Chris Jared (Second Lord Dumaine); Natalie Klamar (Diana); John Stahl (gentleman Astringer); Samuel Taylor (soldier / ward); and Nicolas Tennant (Lavatch). The play is designed by Katrina Lindsay with lighting by Wolfgang Goebbel and music composed by Keith Closton. Sound design is by Gregory Clarke and movement by Liz Rankin.
All’s Well That Ends Well runs in repertoire in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford from Friday (19 July) until 26 September. Press night is Thursday, 24 July.