The romantic comedy, centring on the relationship between a bee-keeper and cosmology academic, will star Sally Hawkins as Marianne and Rafe Spall as Roland and is directed by Michael Longhurst.

Royal Court artistic director Dominic Cooke described the play as “something special”, adding: “It’s exactly the kind of play that the Royal Court was made for – it’s formally exciting with an emotional boldness that dazzled audiences and resulted in an unprecedented demand for tickets.”

Sally Hawkins is a Golden Globe Winner for her performance in Mike Leigh's Happy Go Lucky and her most recent theatre credits include Jez Butterworth’s The Winterling and Country Music by Simon Stephen at the Royal Court.  On film, her credits include Jane Eyre, Submarine, Made in Dagenham and Never Let Me Go.

Rafe Spall last appeared at the Royal Court in DC Moore’s Alaska. His previous stage credits include If There Is I Haven’t Found it Yet at the Bush and John Gabriel Borkman at the Donmar Warehouse. On television, he plays the lead in Pete Versus Life and on film, he appeared in the films Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz.

Nick Payne is the winner of George Devine Award in 2009 and was also a member of the Royal Court’s Young Writers Programme.  His credits include Wanderlust at the Royal Court and One Day When We Were Young for Paines Plough at Sheffield Theatre as part of The Roundabout Season and If There Is I Haven’t Found It Yet at the Bush Theatre.

Director Michael Longhurst has directed productions of Remembrance Day at the Royal Court, Stovepipe for HighTide with the National Theatre and Bush Theatre, On The Beach as part of The Contingency Plan at the Bush Theatre, On The Record at the Arcola, dirty butterfly as winner of the Jerwood Directors Award at the Young Vic and 1 In 5 as part of Daring Pairings at Hampstead Theatre.

[posted by 23/05/2012]

 

• News