Kate Burton is set to make her Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) debut in Laura Wade’s new adaptation of “The Constant Wife,” two decades after receiving a Tony nomination for playing the lead role of Constance on Broadway.
Burton, Emmy nominated for her roles in ABC hits “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Scandal,” will play Mrs. Culver, mother to Constance Middleton in the production. “Game of Thrones” alum Rose Leslie, previously announced, will take on the role of Constance in her own RSC debut.
Set in 1920s London, Maugham’s original play follows Constance Middleton, a society woman who discovers her husband’s affair with her best friend but refuses to play the role of either the deceived wife or the woman scorned. Instead, she crafts an unconventional and empowered response that challenges the era’s rigid social expectations, turning the tables on both her husband and society’s double standards. Wade reimagines this subversive comedy for contemporary audiences while maintaining its central character as “a 1920s heroine with a decidedly modern spirit.”
“Returning to ‘The Constant Wife’ two decades after playing Constance on Broadway is both surreal and thrilling,” Burton told Variety. “Laura Wade has sharpened Maugham’s original script with razor sharp wit, her adaptation brings a distinct modern relevance to this play which I think audiences will really respond to.”
Also making their RSC debuts are Amy Morgan (“Beyond Paradise,” “No Time to Die”) as Martha Culver and Emma McDonald (“The Serpent Queen,” “Moonhaven”) as Marie-Louise Durham. Returning RSC veterans include Luke Norris (“Poldark”) as John Middleton, Raj Bajaj (“The Buddha of Suburbia,” “Killing Eve”) as Bernard Kersal, Mark Meadows (“The Magician’s Elephant”) as Bentley, and Daniel Millar (“Twelfth Night”) as Mortimer Durham.
The production marks a reunion for director Tamara Harvey, who serves as RSC co-artistic director, and playwright Laura Wade, following their Olivier Award-winning collaboration on “Home, I’m Darling.”
Burton, daughter of legendary actor Richard Burton and actor and director Sybil Christopher, noted the personal significance of joining the prestigious company: “Making my RSC debut under Tamara Harvey’s direction is a true privilege. There’s a special resonance in performing in Stratford-upon-Avon, knowing my father and mother trod the boards with the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, which of course went on to become the RSC. As it is my father’s centenary, it feels like a full-circle moment, and I’m honored to be part of this remarkable company.”
The full cast unveiling comes as rehearsals begin for the production, which runs at the Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon from June 20 through Aug. 2.
“I am so excited to welcome our company for ‘The Constant Wife’ to the rehearsal room, bringing together internationally renowned talent, new voices making their RSC debuts, as well as some familiar faces,” Harvey said. “We are thrilled to welcome Kate Burton, who received a Tony Award nomination for her portrayal of Constance on Broadway in 2005, and who now returns to the play as Constance’s mother Mrs. Culver. I can’t wait to discover what her experience of the play will bring to the room.”
The creative team features set and co-costume designer Anna Fleischle, co-costume designer Cat Fuller, lighting designer Ryan Day, composer Jamie Cullum, sound designer Claire Windsor, movement and intimacy director Annie-Lunnette Deakin-Foster, and casting director Charlotte Sutton.
“The Constant Wife” is commissioned by and presented in association with David Pugh Limited.
variety.com
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