Royal Shakespeare Company to Bring HENRY IV Parts 1 & 2 to Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury Next Month

THE ROYAL Shakespeare Company bring the critically-acclaimed Henry IV Parts I And II to Canterbury next month.

Shakespeare's celebrated history plays are directed by RSC Associate Artist Gregory Doran and star RSC Associate Artist Antony Sher as Falstaff.

Knighted for his services for acting and writing, Sher first worked for the RSC in 1982. He last appeared with the RSC in the 2009 Baxter Theatre Centre/RSC production of The Tempest. His many other roles for the company have included his award-winning performance in Richard III, as well as the title roles in Tamburlaine, Cyrano de Bergerac and Macbeth. He played Shylock in The Merchant Of Venice and Iago in Othello. In 2005 he directed Fraser Grace's play Breakfast With Mugabe for the RSC. He played Disraeli in the film Mrs Brown alongside Judi Dench. His other credits include The Captain Of Kopenick, Stanley And Primo for the National Theatre. Sher's books include the memoirs Woza Shakespeare: Titus Andronicus In South Africa, (co-written with his partner, Gregory Doran in 1997), Year Of The King (1985) and his auto-biography Beside Myself (2002).

Joining Sher are Jasper Britton as Henry IV, Alex Hassell as Prince Hal and Paola Dionisotti as Mistress Quickly.

Britton's previous RSC work includes Petruchio in Doran's productions of The Taming Of The Shrew and The Tamer Tamed (2003/4). Other recent stage appearances include Private Ear/Public Eye (national tour) and Amygdala (The Print Room). Britton's TV credits include The Royal and Midsomer Murders, and the film Anonymous.

Hassell returns to the RSC after appearing in Cardenio, The City Madam, A Midsummer Night's Dream (2011) and Othello (2009). Screen credits include Silent Witness, Hustle and Miranda, and the films Anonymous and Calendar Girls. In 2012 he played alongside Jonathan Pryce and Alan Cox in an international tour of The Caretaker.

Dionisotti's role as Mistress Quickly follows her performances as Pandulph in King John and Margaret in Richard III for the RSC in 2012.

Doran became the RSC's Artistic Director in 2012. Recent credits include Richard II (with David Tennant in the title role) and an international tour of Julius Caesar.

Talking about the productions, Doran said: "Henry IV, Parts I And II were chosen to open the Elizabeth Scott Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1932. We presented them as part of the celebrations for the Festival of Britain in 1951, with Richard Burton as Hal; and for Shakespeare's tercentenary in 1964, directed by Peter Hall. They are great plays to celebrate a big occasion and I am delighted to be mounting them again to mark Shakespeare's 450th birthday, and taking them on the road.

"With their mixture of comedy, history and pathos, Henry IV Parts I And II have always had a broad appeal. I hope audiences will join us to experience what are, arguably, two of Shakespeare's greatest plays."

Henry IV Parts I And II are at The Marlowe Theatre from Tuesday 11 to Saturday 15 November. For performance times and to book tickets (priced from £14 to £35.50, concessions available and booking fee applies), call the Box Office on 01227 787787 or go to marlowetheate.com.

There will be audio-described and Stagetext captioned performances of both parts.