Sunset at the Villa Thalia - National Theatre (Dorfman)
Preview by Lizzie Guilfoyle
WRITTEN by Alexi Kaye Campbell and directed by Simon Godwin, Sunset at the Villa Thalia opens in the National’s Dorfman Theatre on June 1 (previews from May 25) before continuing in repertoire until August 4, 2016.
April 1967: Greece is in political turmoil. Charlotte and Theo have retreated to a small island in search of peace and inspiration. But when they meet a charismatic American couple at the port they are seduced into making choices with devastating consequences.
This funny and passionate new play by Alexi Kaye Campbell (Woman in Gold, The Pride, Apologia) spans a decade as it explores the impact of foreign influence, planned and unintentional, on a nation and its people.
The cast includes Christos Callow, Sam Crane, Glykeria Dimou, Elizabeth McGovern, Ben Miles, Pippa Nixon and Eve Polycarpou.
Sam Crane’s previous theatre credits include DNA, The Miracle and The Odyssey (National Theatre), Farinelli and the King (Shakespeare’s Globe/West End) and Headlong’s 1984 (Playhouse Theatre).
Elizabeth McGovern was nominated for an Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award for her role as Cora Crawley in Downton Abbey. Her film credits include Ordinary People and Ragtime, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her most recent theatre credits in the UK include The Shawl (Arcola Theatre), Complicit (The Old Vic) and Aristo (Chichester Festival Theatre).
Ben Miles has been nominated for six Tony Awards and was a Tony Award-winner for his performance of Thomas Cromwell in Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies (RSC/West End/Broadway). Other recent theatre credits include Love Love Love (Royal Court Theatre), Measure for Measure (Almeida Theatre) and The Norman Conquests (The Old Vic/Broadway). His television and theatre credits include The Woman in Gold, The Crown (Netflix) and The Hollow Crown (BBC).
Pippa Nixon has worked extensively with the Royal Shakespeare Company (most recent credits include The Tempest, As You Like It, Hamlet and King John) and Shakespeare’s Globe (most recently A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Timon of Athens and The Merchant of Venice, for which she was nominated for an Ian Charleson Award). Her television credits include Cuffs and Unforgotten.
Sunset at the Villa Thalia is designed by Hildegard Bechtler, with lighting by Natasha Chivers, music by Michael Bruce, movement direction by Jonathan Goddard and sound design by Tom Gibbons.