Chauvinist men are confronted by resilient women and love is a prize in a deadly game in Aphra Behn’s The Rover, a Royal Shakespeare Company production to mark the 30th anniversary of the Swan Theatre.
Joseph Millson plays the rakish “rover” Willmore. Faye Castelow plays the object of his affections, Hellena, a young woman experiencing as much of life as possible before becoming a nun. She had roles in the RSC’s The White Devil and The Roaring Girl in 2014 and played Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Britain, in Amanda Whittington’s The Thrill of Love at the New Vic, Newcastle-under-Lyme in 2013.
RSC associate artist Alexandra Gilbreath plays the courtesan Angelica, Frances McNamee plays Florinda and Patrick Robinson, perhaps best known for his role as Martin “Ash” Ashford in the television drama series Casualty, plays her lover Colonel Belville.
The cast also includes Joe Allen (Stephano), Sally Bankes (Callis), Ashley Campbell (Phillipo), Leander Deeny (Blunt), Chris Jack (Sancho), Lena Kaur (Adriana), Patrick Knowles (Babion), Leon Lopez (Biskey), Allison McKenzie (Moretta), Emma Noakes (Valeria), Danusia Samal (Astrea), Gyuri Sarossy (Don Pedro), Eloise Secker (Aminta), Kellie Shirley (Lucetta) and Jamie Wilkes (Don Antonio).
The Rover was last performed in the Swan Theatre’s first season in 1986. The production takes place “in the fast and furious world of the south American carnival”.
Loveday Ingram directs. Designer is Lez Brotherston. Lighting is by Tim Lutkin, music by Grant Olding, sound by Fergus O’Hare and movement by Nicola Treherne. The fight director is Terry King.
The Rover runs in the Swan from Thursday 8 September until Saturday 11 February 2017. Press night will be Thursday 15 September.