Ruth Rendell's A JUDGEMENT IN STONE To Tour Starring Andrew Lancel, Sophie Ward and More

Building on the phenomenal decade-long success of The Agatha Christie Theatre Company, which sold over two million tickets and continually played to packed houses around the UK, Bill Kenwright presents a new production adapted from one of the most celebrated works of the writer often hailed as the successor to Agatha Christie, Ruth Rendell's A Judgement In Stone.

Rendell was first published in 1964 and was awarded a CBE in 1996. Her prolific output included film and TV as well as 80 novels and one of the genre's most famous characters, Chief Inspector Wexford. Widely considered to be one of Rendell's greatest works, A Judgement in Stone is loved for its brilliant rendering of character, plot and motive, and is undoubtedly Rendell at her thrilling best.

Eunice struggles to fit in. When she joins a wealthy family as their housekeeper the very reason for her awkwardness, long hidden and deeply buried, leads inexorably to a terrible tale of murder in cold blood - on Valentine's Day. Ruth Rendell's brilliant plot unravels a lifetime of deceit, despair and cover-ups which, when revealed, brings a shocking revelation almost as grizzly as murder itself.

The star cast includes award winning TV and stage favourite ANDREW LANCEL best known to TV audiences for his portrayal of villainous business man Frank Foster in Coronation Street, winning Villain of the Year in the British Soap Awards, and as DI Neil Manson in over 300 episodes of The Bill. On stage in 2016 Andrew starred as Captain Von Trapp in the UK Tour of The Sound of Music, and as Brian Clough in the world stage premiere of The Damned United at West Yorkshire Playhouse and Derby Playhouse. In 2014 and 2015 he starred in two Bill Kenwright Productions; 12 Angry Men opposite Tom Conti and as Adam Snow in the World Premiere of Susan Hill's The Small Hand directed by Roy Marsden - both of which toured nationally. Prior to these he starred as Brian Epstein in Epstein- The Man Who Made The Beatles in Liverpool and its London transfer.

Andrew is joined by Sophie Ward who played the beautiful, ill-fated love interest of Young Sherlock Holmes and Dr Helen Trent in long-running ITV drama Heartbeat. She also starred in the acclaimed mini-series, A Dark Adapted Eye, alongside Helena Bonham Carter and as Isabella alongside Juliette Binoche in the 1992 film version of Wuthering Heights.

Pop-idol Mark Wynter made his professional debut as a recording artist and went on to have nine Top 20 singles, including Venus in Blue Jeans and Go Away Little Girl. He has also enjoyed an acting career that has spanned nearly 50 years, appearing on radio, television, film and stage where he has featured in seven Agatha Christie Company productions.

Deborah Grant has starred in the BBC's Not Going Out, Bergerac and Roger, Roger. As well as her many TV and film appearances Deborah is a stage veteran; from her first performance on stage at the age of 4, she has performed in many West End and national touring productions and starred opposite Michael Crawford in the West End debut of Barnum at the London Palladium.

Movie icon SHIRLEY ANNE FIELD has had a long and successful career. Her breakthrough role came when she got the part of Tina the Beauty Queen opposite Sir Laurence Oliver in The Entertainer. Her role as Doreen in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning soon followed, with her next role as the female lead in the Hollywood title The War Lover opposite Steve McQueen and Robert Wagner. More recently Shirley Anne was in the award winning Beautiful Relics, a short film directed by Adrian Hedgecock, and the touring theatre productions The Cemetery Club and Five Blue-Haired Ladies Sitting on a Green Park Bench.

Antony Costa shot to fame in chart topping boy band Blue in early 2000 becoming a huge commercial success in the United Kingdom and many other countries, selling 15 million records worldwide to date, including 3.3 million albums and 1 million singles in the UK alone. On Stage Antony has starred in the lead role of Mickey Johnstone in the West End production of the long-running musical Blood Brothers, directed and produced by Bill Kenwright as well as starring in the 10th anniversary tour of Boogie Nights, the 40th anniversary of The Who's iconic musical Tommy (Blackpool Opera House), Jack and the Beanstalk (Ipswich Regent Theatre), Popstar: The Musical (UK tour) and recently in TV's Casualty.

BEN NEALON is an Agatha Christie Company stalwart. On television Ben is best known as Lt Forsythe in the popular ITV award winning drama series Soldier Soldier, he also featured in the Oscar-nominated Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India. The cast is completed by Rosie Thomson, JENNIFER SIMS and Joshua Price.

The production will be directed by Roy Marsden who is best known as an actor, particularly in his role as Commander Adam Dalgliesh in Anglia TV's P.D. James series, which he played for 15 years. But he has also been directing plays since he was 15 years old and had two successful West End runs with Noel Coward's Volcano and Agatha Christie's (under the pen name Mary Westmacott) A Daughter's A Daughter. His recent work for Bill Kenwright includes directing a UK tour of Susan Hill's The Small Hand and the debut production for The Classic Thriller Theatre Company, Rehearsal For Murder, written by the creators of Murder, She Wrote and Columbo, Levinson and Link.

Ruth Rendell who died in May 2015, was an exceptional crime writer and is credited with having revitalised the mystery genre. She won numerous awards in her lifetime, including the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger for best crime novel with A Demon In My View, a Gold Dagger Award for Live Flesh and the Sunday Times Literary Award. She was awarded the Crime Writers' Association Cartier Diamond Dagger for sustained excellence in crime writing. In addition to the CBE she became a Life Peer in 1997. Her debut novel From Doon With Death introduced Inspector Wexford who went on to feature in twenty-four of her subsequent novels many of which were adapted for television. A Judgement In Stone was also filmed twice, as The Housekeeper (1986) starring Rita Tushingham and as La Cérémonie (1995), directed by Claude Chabrol, starring Sandrine Bonnaire.

A JUDGEMENT IN STONE - UK TOUR DATES 2017

Wed 11 - Sat 21 January

Box Office: 01753 853 888

Theatre Royal, Windsor

Website: www.theatreroyalwindsor.co.uk

Mon 23 - Sat 28 January

Box Office: 0844 871 7651

Richmond Theatre, Richmond

Website: www.atgtickets.com/richmond

Mon 30 January - Sat 4 February

Box Office: 01483 44 0000

Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford

Website: www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk

Mon 13- Saturday 18 February

Box Office: 0131 529 6000

King's Theatre, Edinburgh

Website: www.edtheatres.com/kings

Mon 20 - Sat 25 February

Box Office: 0844 871 3011

Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham

Website: www.atgtickets.com/birmingham

Mon 27 February - Sat 4 March

Box Office: 01323 412 000

Devonshire Theatre, Eastbourne

Website: www.eastbournetheatres.co.uk

Mon 6 - Sat 11 March

Box Office: 01872 262466

Hall for Cornwall, Truro

Website: www.hallforcornwall.co.uk

Mon 13 - Sat 18 March

Box Office: 01298 72190

Buxton Opera House, Buxton

Website: www.buxtonoperahouse.org.uk

Mon 27 Mar - Sat 1 April

Box Office: 01604 624811

Royal & Derngate, Northampton

Website: www.royalandderngate.co.uk

Tue 4 - Sat 8 April

Box Office: 029 2087 8889

New Theatre, Cardiff

Website: www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk/

Mon 10 - Sat 15 April

Box Office: 01934 645 544

Playhouse Theatre, Weston Super Mare

Website: www.theplayhouse.co.uk

Tue 18 - Sat 22 April

Box Office: 020 3285 6000

Churchill Theatre, Bromley

Website: www.churchilltheatre.co.uk

Mon 24 - Sat 29 April

Box Office: 0844 848 2700

Grand Theatre, Leeds

Website: www.leedsgrandtheatre.com

Tue 2 - Sat 6 May

Box Office: 01684 892277

Malvern Theatre, Malvern

Website: www.malvern-theatres.co.uk

Mon 8 - Sat 13 May

Box Office: 01242 572573

Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham

Website: www.everymantheatre.org.uk

Mon 15 - Sat 20 May

Box Office: 01892 530613

Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells

Website: www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk

Mon 22 - Sat 27 May

Box Office: 01293 553636

The Hawth Theatre, Crawley Website: www.parkwoodtheatres.co.uk/The-Hawth

Tue 30 May - Sat 3 June

Box Office: 0844 871 7627

Waterside Theatre, Aylesbury

Website: www.atgtickets.com/aylesbury

Mon 5 - Sat 10 June

Box Office: 01702 351135

Palace Theatre, Southend

Website: www.southendtheatres.org.uk

Mon 12 - Sat 17 June

Box Office: 01332 59 39 39

Derby Theatre, Derby

Website: www.derbytheatre.co.uk/

Mon 19 - Sat 24 June

Box Office: 0844 871 7647

Theatre Royal, Glasgow

Website: www.atgtickets.com/glasgow

Mon 26 June - Sat 1 July

Box Office: 0844 871 7645

New Victoria Theatre, Woking

Website: www.atgtickets.com/woking

Mon 3 - Sat 8 July

Box Office: 01902 429 212

Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton

Website: www.grandtheatre.co.uk

Mon 10 - Sat 15 July

Box Office: 01423 502116

HarroGate Theatre, Harrogate

Website: www.harrogatetheatre.co.uk

Mon 17 - Sat 22 July

Box Office: 0844 871 7649

Regent Theatre, Stoke

Website: www.atgtickets.com/stoke

Mon 24 - Sat 29 July

Box Office: 0844 871 7652

Milton Keynes Theatre, Milton Keynes

Website: www.atgtickets.com/miltonkeynes

Mon 31 July - Sat 5 August

Box Office: 08448 11 21 21

Theatre Royal, Newcastle

Website: www.theatreroyal.co.uk

Tues 19 - Sat 23 September

Box Office: 024 7655 3055

Belgrade Theatre, Coventry

Website: www.belgrade.co.uk

Mon 25 - Sat 30 September

Box Office: 01322 220000

Orchard Theatre, Dartford Website: www.orchardtheatre.co.uk

More dates to follow