Tom Byrne, Poppy Miller and James Garnon will be among the cast of Dmitry, based on an unfinished play by German playwright Friedrich Schiller, at London’s new Marylebone Theatre.
Byrne will play the title role of Dmitry who, in 1605, appears to challenge ruthless tsar Boris Gudonov, claiming to be the missing son of Ivan the Terrible and the rightful tsar of Russia.
Miller will also lead as Dmitry’s mother, Tsarina Maria, alongside James Garnon as Cardinal Odowalsky and Aurora Dawson-Hunte as Marina. Piotr Baumann has been cast as Korela and Mark Hadfield as Prince Mnishek.
The cast is completed by Ammar Haj Ahmad, Daniel Hawksford, Oleg Mirochnikov, Daniel York Loh, Lev Levermore, Jonathan Oliver, Clifford Samuel and Phoebe Strickland.
Schiller’s play, originally called Demetrius and unfinished at the time of his death in 1805, is being brought to the stage by director Tim Supple with playwright Peter Oswald, offering a perspective on the current crisis on Europe’s eastern borders.
It will be the inaugural production at Marylebone Theatre in Park Road, running from 29 September to 5 November 2022.
Alexander Gifford, artistic director of Marylebone Theatre, said: “I am delighted that our launch production has attracted such an excellent cast. It includes both rising stars and established names.
“As a venue, we are daring to open with a big, classical production and it is thrilling that it will be carried by such a brilliant and experienced group.
“I am particularly pleased that our actors come from a very broad range of cultures and racial backgrounds.
“Dmitry is an epic play in verse with extraordinary dramatic intensity. I am confident that our cast will imbue it with the power and passion it deserves.”
Tim Supple added: “Our first-rate creative team is now joined by a tremendous cast that draws on the riches of London’s uniquely skilled and diverse acting community.
“There can be no greater pleasure for a director than opening a new theatre with a play that speaks directly to a major concern of our time and that does so with the combined potency of the German master Schiller and our leading contemporary verse dramatist, Peter Oswald.”
The creative team also includes designer Robert Innes Hopkins, lighting design by Jackie Shemesh, sound design by Max Pappenheim, and movement director Mike Ashcroft.
StageWire UK 