Director Maria Aberg, Pippa Nixon and Alex Waldmann, who worked together on the Royal Shakespeare Company presentation of King John at Stratford last year, will be reunited in a new production of As You Like It which starts this week.
Maria Aberg said, “I couldn’t imagine doing this play with any other Rosalind than Pippa Nixon. She’s an extraordinary actress and I'm thrilled to be working with her again.
“Her collaboration with Alex Waldmann on King John was truly inspirational and I’m delighted to be back in the rehearsal room with them both, along with the many brilliant actors I’ve had the fortune to work with at the RSC—from John Stahl and David Fielder to Luke Norris and Jo Horton who’s doing her first major Shakespeare role as Celia.
“I'm also really excited to be working with fantastic actors like Nick Tennant and Oliver Ryan.”
For the RSC Maria Aberg previously directed Dennis Kelly’s The Gods Weep and Days of Significance by Roy Williams.
Pippa Nixon was The Bastard in King John and Lady Anne in Richard III at the RSC last year. She is also playing Ophelia this season in Hamlet.
Alex Waldmann (Orlando) made his RSC debut last year playing the title role in King John, Catesby in Richard III and Ixtlixóchitl / Nezahualcoyotl in A Soldier in Every Son.
His other theatre credits include Johnny in Ryan Craig’s The Holy Rosenbergs at the National Theatre, Grano in Rope by Patrick Hamilton at the Almeida Theatre and Troilus in the Cheek by Jowl presentation of Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida at the Barbican.
Returning to the RSC are Karen Archer (Le Beau); Cliff Burnett (Duke Senior); David Fielder (Adam); Michael Grady-Hall (Silvius); Mark Holgate (Charles the Wrestler / William); Joanna Horton (Celia); Natalie Klamar (Phoebe); Luke Norris (Oliver); Oliver Ryan (Jacques); John Stahl (Duke Frederick); and Nicolas Tennant (Touchstone).
The cast also includes Kiza Deen (Hisperia); Daniel Easton (Dennis); Dave Fishley (Sir Oliver Martext); Rosie Hilal (Audrey); Chris Jared (Jacques de Boys); Robin Soans (Corin); and Samuel Taylor (first forest lord).
The play is designed by Naomi Dawson with lighting by James Farncombe, sound design by Tom Gibbons and movement by Ayse Tashkiran.
Music has been composed by Laura Marling who has been nominated twice for the Mercury Music Prize and won the best female solo artist at the 2011 Brit Awards.
One of three Shakespeare plays in the final season programmed by Michael Boyd as the RSC’s outgoing artistic director, As You Like It runs in repertoire at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre from Friday (12 April) until 28 September.