The Royal Shakespeare Company has confirmed that its productions of Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies (currently playing in rep in Stratford-upon-Avon) will transfer to the Aldwych Theatre from 1st May for a limited season until 6th September. Jeremy Herrin directs.
Wolf Hall/Bring Up the Bodies follows Andrew Lloyd Webber's Stephen Ward which closes at Aldwych on Saturday 29th March 2014.
Hilary Mantel's popular books have been adapted for the first time for the stage in two parts by Mike Poulton. The adaptations were commissioned by Playful Productions who worked in collaboration with the RSC to bring them to the stage. The two plays tell the compelling story of the political rise to power of Thomas Cromwell from blacksmith's boy to Henry VIII's right hand man.
Hilary Mantel said: "I am, I think, currently the luckiest author in the world. When my novel Wolf Hall was published in 2009, it was awarded a Man Booker prize and brought me a legion of keen readers worldwide. Its sequel, Bring Up the Bodies, won a second Man Booker and the Costa prize. Could life get better? It could.
"Brilliantly adapted for the stage by Mike Poulton, my Tudor tales are enjoying a spectacular run in Stratford-upon-Avon. Each night, at the Swan Theatre, we have the privilege of setting our funny, fast, harrowing plays before audiences who are provoked, exhilarated and moved. Jeremy Herrin directs a clever, committed cast, headed by Ben Miles as the sardonic and constantly surprising Thomas Cromwell. In their glowing costumes, against a stark background, lapped by flames and falling snow, our company recreates the court of Henry VIII, its brief love affairs and brutal power games, its dances and masques, weddings and executions.
"To walk into a theatre where every seat is taken is a special experience. Now we have the chance to bring the plays to a wider audience. We are thrilled that our London base is to be the Aldwych, once the home of the RSC, a theatre that will provide a showcase for this unique project. We hope to delight our London audiences this spring as we have delighted our Stratford audiences through the winter. Meanwhile, in the pages of my third book, steadily richer and more ruthless, more ingenious and more haunted, Thomas Cromwell remains a work in progress..."
Ben Miles stars as Thomas Cromwell in both productions. The cast also includes: Lucy Briers, Lydia Leonard, Paul Jesson and Nathaniel Parker.
Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies are produced by Playful Productions and the Royal Shakespeare Company, with design by Christopher Oram, lighting by Paule Constable and David Plater, sound by Nick Powell with music by Stephen Warbeck.
Public Booking opens at 10am on Monday 10 March.
This book will get you hooked right away. She is an excellent author. My complaint with Ms. Mantel is there are 8-10 instances where she uses the same crude word or a spin-off in the course of the book. They add nothing to the an otherwise enthralling book.
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