Royal Shakespeare Company honorary associate artist Antony Sher is to play Sir John Falstaff in Gregory Doran’s productions of Henry IV Parts I and II.
Jasper Britton will play Henry IV and Alex Hassell will be Prince Hal. Several of the cast and all the creative team were also part of Doran’s recent production of Richard II.
Cast in both plays are Elliot Barnes-Worrell (Prince John / Francis); Martin Bassindale (Peto); Sean Chapman (Northumberland / Earl of Douglas); Paola Dionisotti (Mistress Quickly); Youssef Kerkour (Westmoreland); Sam Marks (Poins); Keith Osborn (Scroop); and Joshua Richards (Bardolph / Glendower).
Antony Byrne plays Worcester in Part I and Pistol in Part II; Jonny Glynn is Gadshill and Warwick; Nia Gwynne plays Lady Mortimer and Doll Tearsheet; Jim Hooper is Sir Richard Vernon and Silence; Leigh Quinn takes the roles of a traveller and Wart; Simon Thorp plays Sir Walter Blunt and the Lord Chief Justice; Trevor White is Hotspur and Mowbray; and Simon Yadoo plays Chamberlain and Lord Bardolph.
Oliver Ford Davies plays Shallow in Part II.
The production is designed by Stephen Brimson Lewis with lighting by Tim Mitchell. Music is composed by Paul Englishby with sound by Martin Slavin. The movement director is Mike Ashcroft and fight director is Terry King.
Henry IV Parts I and II play in repertoire in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford from March 2014, with a double press day on Wednesday 16 April. They then transfer to Newcastle Theatre Royal, go on a UK tour and end up at the Barbican in London.
Both productions will also be broadcast live to cinemas. Henry IV Part I will be filmed during the performance in the RST on Wednesday, 14 May and Henry IV Part II on Wednesday, 18 June.
They will be simultaneously screened in more than 300 cinemas around the country and will also be available in North America, Australia, Japan and northern Europe.