The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? - full casting announced
FULL casting has been announced for Edward Albee’s The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? which runs at the Theatre Royal Haymarket from April 5 (previews from March 24) to June 24, 2017 (except May 30 to June 3).
Joining Damian Lewis and Sophie Okonedo, who play husband and wife Martin and Stevie in Ian Rickson’s production, will be Jason Hughes as Martin’s oldest friend Ross and Archie Madekwe as their son Billy.
Jason Hughes is perhaps best known for his television work, which includes playing lawyer Warren Jones in the BBC TV series This Life and as Detective Sergeant Ben Jones in Midsomer Murders from 2005 until 2013.
A respected stage actor, his previous work includes Our Country’s Good and Look Back in Anger opposite Michael Sheen at the National Theatre, Violence and Son and 4.48 Psychosis for the Royal Court and US tour, Way Upstream at Chichester Festival Theatre, Caligula at the Donmar Warehouse and Design for Living at Theatre Royal Bath.
Archie Madekwe, who trained at LAMDA, makes his professional stage debut as Billy. His previous work includes Fresh Meat and Casualty, as well as the films Legacy and Second Coming. He also appeared in National Youth Theatre’s 2013 production of Pope Joan at St James’s Church, Piccadilly.
Sophie Okonedo OBE has worked in a variety of media including film, television, theatre, and audio drama. She received an Academy Award® nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Tatiana Rusesabagina in the 2004 film Hotel Rwanda, a Golden Globe® nomination for the miniseries Tsunami: The Aftermath (2006) and BAFTA TV Award nominations for the drama series Criminal Justice (2009).
Okonedo made her Broadway debut in the 2014 revival of A Raisin in the Sun for which she won the Tony Award® for Best Featured Actress in a Play. In 2016, she received a second Tony® nomination for her portrayal of Elizabeth Proctor in Ivo van Hove’s Broadway production of The Crucible which also starred Ben Whishaw, Saoirse Ronan and Ciarán Hinds.
Ian Rickson was artistic director of the Royal Court from 1998 to 2006, where his many directing credits include Jerusalem (also West End at the Apollo Theatre), The Winterling, The Night Heron and Mojo (also Chicago), all by Jez Butterworth; The Seagull by Anton Chekhov (also Broadway); and Krapp’s Last Tape by Samuel Beckett.
In the West End, Rickson directed Kristin Scott Thomas, Rufus Sewell and Lia Williams in Old Times by Harold Pinter (Harold Pinter Theatre); Betrayal again by Harold Pinter and also with Kristin Scott Thomas, and Keira Knightley and Elizabeth Moss in The Children’s Hour by Lillian Hellman (both Comedy Theatre). His work at the National Theatre includes Evening at the Talk House by Wallace Shawn and The Red Lion by Patrick Marber; while at the Young Vic, he has directed Hamlet starring Michael Sheen, Now We Are Here and The Nest.
For The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? Ian Rickson will be joined by an Olivier and Tony Award®-winning creative team in Rae Smith (set and costume design), Neil Austin (lighting design) and Greg Clarke (sound design), with an original score by PJ Harvey.
Edward Albee (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, A Delicate Balance, The Lady from Dubuque, Me, Myself & I) was awarded the Gold Medal in Drama from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters in 1980. In 1996, he received the Kennedy Center Honors and the National Medal of Arts and in 2005, he was awarded a special Tony Award® for Lifetime Achievement.
In The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?, a husband and successful New York architect with everything to lose must confess to his wife and son that he is having an affair and face the dizzying, explosive consequences.
Image: Edward Albee’s The Goat, Or Who Is Sylvia – Sophie Okonedo (Stevie) and Damian Lewis (Martin). Photo credit: Uli Weber.
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