Christopher Bonwell, Emile John, and Rose-anna Nicholson Join PRIVATE LIVES Cast

Reading Rep Theatre has announced the complete cast for the upcoming production of Noël Coward's Private Lives which opens at the theatre this spring.

Christopher Bonwell, who starred in the West End productions of The Mousetrap and The Woman in Black, will make his Reading Rep Theatre debut in the role of the charmingly insufferable Elyot, and Emile John, most known for playing Ethan Anderson in ITV's Emmerdale from 2021-2024, makes both his stage debut and Reading Rep Theatre debut in the role of the well-meaning yet hopelessly outmatched Victor.

Rose-anna Nicholson, who has been a member of the Reading Rep Theatre Youth Ensemble for the past year, will make her professional stage debut in the role of Louise. 

They join Amy Di Bartolomeo, Olivier Award nominated for her role as Emily Charlton in the original cast of The Devil Wears Prada, who will make her Reading Rep Theatre debut as the progressively independent Amanda, and Orla O'Sullivan who returns to the theatre to play Amanda's ‘ex-husbands-new-wife', the superbly organised Sybil.

These characters will arrive on stage in Reading from 16 April – 9 May.

The sharp wit and acerbic comedy of Private Lives is brought to life under the direction of Matthew Forbes. Of working with this team, he said, “I'm absolutely thrilled to be working with Emile as Victor and Christopher as Elyot. Both actors bring a wealth of experience from television and London's West End, along with a depth, precision and charisma that make them a perfect fit for Coward's world. Their understanding of rhythm, language, and emotional nuance will bring tremendous sophistication to these roles, and paired with our previously announced cast members Amy Di Bartolomeo and Orla O'Sullivan, our audiences will have a truly fabulous evening at the theatre.

I'm equally proud that this production will mark the professional stage debut of a member of the Reading Rep Theatre Youth Ensemble. Offering the opportunity to step into a professional production, and to work alongside performers of genuine West End calibre, is incredibly exciting. Creating that bridge between emerging local talent and established industry professionals sits at the heart of what Reading Rep is about. It's not only an invaluable experience for a young actor at the start of their career, but a powerful statement about nurturing the next generation of artists right here in our community.”

Biographies

Matthew returns to Reading Rep after the success of 2024's Christmas Show; THE SNOW QUEEN. His recent credits including Puppetry Director for WAR HORSE (National Theatre), Director on Sandi Toksvig's new adaptation of TREASURE ISLAND (Leicester Haymarket Theatre), Puppetry Director and Movement Director on the Olivier Award Nominated L'OLIMPIADE (Royal Opera House, Irish National Opera).

Christopher Bonwell's theatre credits include: The Mousetrap (West End), The Woman in Black (West End Worldwide) Bad Jews (West End & UK Tour), In Praise of Love (Theatre Royal Bath), and The Entertainer (UK Tour). Film work includes feature film Roses's Baby starring Antonio Banderas (Maven Media), The Fallow Few (Glasshouse Pictures), Out of the Grey, Siffre. His Voice work includes; The BAFTA award winning Divinity II Original Sin, Boulder's Gate III, Dune Spicewars, Knights Sovereign II & Wartales.

Emile John is a London-born actor best known for playing Ethan Anderson on ITV's Emmerdale from 2021 to 2024. A graduate of The BRIT School and Rose Bruford College, he has also appeared as a guest lead in BBC's Casualty.

Rose-anna Nicholson is a budding artist who is a member of Reading Rep Theatre's Young Company and the National Youth Theatre She has a passion for theatre: from the great works for Shakespeare, to Sondheim's riveting repertoire of musicals. Private Lives is Rose-anna's professional debut and she is over the moon to be working with such a brilliant team on this Coward classic. 

Amy Di Bartolomeo was nominated for both and Olivier Award and a WhatsOnStage Award for her role as Emily Charlton in the original cast of The Devil Wears Prada. With an incredible West End career in Musical Theatre under her belt Amy will make her Reading Rep debut in this sharply comic play. Her theatre credits include: Glory Ride (Charing Cross Theatre), Light in the Piazza (Alexandra Palace), SIX (The Vaudeville Theatre, West End), In Pieces and We Will Rock You (UK Tour), the World Premier of Bat Out Of Hell (Manchester & London Coliseum), Priscilla Queen of the Desert and Starlight Express.

Orla O'Sullivan returns to Reading rep for the fifth time, her credits for the theatre include: A Christmas Carol, The Snow Queen, It's A Wonderful Life, Potted Panto. Other credits include: Oaklore (Wild Rumpus), The War of The Worlds (Layered Reality), And We'll Catch Stardust, Yes We Will (The Vaults), The Talk (Tamasha). Screen credits include: The Night In (BoxFly Media), Midnight Caller (Ditto Films), PRAGMA (Silver Rose Productions), and Ding-Ding, Next (BBC Arts).