Northern Broadsides & New Vic Theatre Will Tour THE MERRY WIVES

Northern Broadsides are set to join forces with the award-winning New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme, to stage William Shakespeare's superb medley of comedy and farce The Merry Wives.

Directed and featuring Northern Broadsides Artistic Director Barrie Rutter in the role of Sir John Falstaff, the new production which will open at the New Vic, Newcastle-under-Lyme, from 5 - 27 February and will then tour nationally until 28 May.

It's the 1920s in the North of England and Sir John Falstaff is past-his-prime and skint!

Vain rogue that he is, he attempts, rather clumsily, to seduce a couple of well-to-do wives ... but Mistress Page and Mistress Ford get wise to his plan and scheme to exact revenge with hilarious and unimaginable consequences.

Northern Broadsides have previously staged The Merry Wives in in 1993 and 2001.

Playing Sir John Falstaff for the third time will be Northern Broadsides Artistic Director Barrie Rutter. Rutter's recent works include the title roles in Jonathan Miller's productions ofKing Lear and Rutherford & Son, as well directing and featuring in Broadsides award-winning co-production with the New Vic Theatre, An August Bank Holiday Lark. Barrie Rutter has previously worked for the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Last year Barrie was awarded the OBE for services to drama.

Co-producing with Staffordshire's New Vic Theatre, the production's fine creative team includes Lis Evans (An August Bank Holiday Lark) with lighting by Adam Foley. Regulars at the New Vic Theatre, this will be Northern Broadsides seventh co-production with the venue. Previous co-productions have included The Tempest (2007), The Canterbury Tales (2010), Love's Labour's Lost (2012) and the award winning An August Bank Holiday Lark (2014).

The Merry Wives will open at the New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme from 5 -27 February 2016 and will then tour to Dean Clough, Halifax; Hull Truck Theatre; The Lowry Salford; Rose Theatre, Kingston; West Yorkshire Playhouse; Everyman Theatre Cheltenham (which will coincide with the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare); Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough; Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield; York Theatre Royal and Liverpool Playhouse.

In autumn 2016 Northern Broadsides will be teaming up with York Theatre Royal to tour J B Priestley's When We Are Married. The production, which will be directed by Barrie Rutter, will open at the newly redeveloped York Theatre Royal in September 2016.

Further casting will be announced in the coming weeks.

For more information visit www.northern-broadsides.co.uk and www.newvictheatre.org.uk.

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