The Chicago premiere of Mike Bartlett’s Tony Award-nominated play King Charles III, directed by Gary Griffin, will begin performances November 5 at Chicago Shakespeare Theater as part of the company’s 30th anniversary season.
Appearing in the title role will be Robert Bathurst, best known by TV audiences for playing Sir Anthony Strallan on the hit series Downton Abbey.
Performances will continue through January 15, 2017.
The cast will also include Jordan Dean as Prince William, Amanda Drinkall as Kate Middleton, Alec Manley Wilson as Prince Harry, Rae Gray as Jess, Kate Skinner as Camilla, Sarah Chalcroft as Princess Diana, Sean Fortunato as Mr. Evans and David Lively as Mr. Stevens with Jonathan Weir (James Reiss), Lawrence Grimm (Clive/Sir Gordon/Speaker of the House), Demetrios Troy (Spencer/Paul), Jen Johansen (Sarah/TV Producer) and Sam Pearson (Couttsey/Sir Michael).
Rounding out the ensemble are Grant Niezgodski, Jeff Parker, Tyrone Phillips and Megan Storti.
Here’s how it’s billed: “In the aftermath of the death of England’s present-day monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles ascends to the throne. His first official act is to rubberstamp Parliament’s bill restricting freedom of the press, but Charles refuses in a provocative act of conscience. England is thrown into crisis, absurdly escalating with tanks guarding the palace gates. In the midst of plays for power, how will Charles rule over his once-united kingdom? Written in blank verse and sprinkled with rousing soliloquies and rhyming couplets, King Charles III invokes the heightened stakes of Shakespeare’s greatest works in an inventive present-day setting.”
Other members of the creative team include costume designer Mara Blumenfeld, scenic designer Scott Davis, associate scene designer Alan Schwanke, lighting designers Philip Rosenberg and Joel Shier, sound designers Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen, assistant director Lavina Jadhwani and dialect coach Eva Breneman.
For more information and tickets, visit ChicagoShakes.com/KingCharlesIII.
