Onassis - casting announced
Preview by Lizzie Guilfoyle
JOINING Robert Lindsay in the cast of Onassis, which begins performances at the Novello Theatre on September 30, 2010, will be Lydia Leonard (Hecuba, RSC, Time and the Conways, National Theatre) as Jackie Kennedy and Anna Francolini (Caroline, or Change, National Theatre, Into the Woods, Royal Opera House) as Maria Callas.
The cast will also include Tom Austen, Liz Crowther, Ben Grove, Robert Hastie, John Hodgkinson, Sue Kelvin, Graeme Taylor and Gawn Grainger.
Previously Posted: Robert Lindsay will play the title role in Onassis, Martin Sherman’s new play that focuses on the last years in the life of Greek tycoon Aristotle Onassis.
It runs for a limited season – from October 12, 2010 (previews from September 30) to January 8, 2011 – at the Novello Theatre.
Aristotle Onassis was a millionaire at 25 and became one of the world’s richest men, but it was the glamour of the women in his life which brought him real fame, causing him to pursue personal vendettas and amassing empires on an international scale.
Onassis focuses on the relationships between Onassis, his lover Maria Callas, his wife Jackie Kennedy and his long running feud with the Kennedy family and the American establishment.
Lindsay’s numerous and diverse theatre credits include Oliver!, Me and My Girl for which he won both Olivier and Tony Awards, Richard III, Becket, Hamlet, Cyrano de Bergerac, Power and, most recently, the 50th Anniversary revival of John Osborne’s The Entertainer (Old Vic).
On television he is well known for his roles in Citizen Smith, GBH, Hornblower and My Family.
The play was originally called Aristo when it ran at Chichester in 2008. Since then it has been substantially rewritten by Sherman and director Nancy Meckler. Prior to the West End, the new version will premiere at Derby Theatre (September 10 to September 25).
Sherman’s most famous play, Bent, was the first to deal with the treatment of homosexuals by the Nazis during World War II.
Tap Dogs continues at the Novello Theatre until September 5, 2010.