Dates Set for Kenneth Branagh's West End Takeover, Starring Judi Dench, Richard Madden, Lily James & More

Next stop Broadway for which of these productions? We now have more details of actor and director Kenneth Branagh's takeover of the West End’s Garrick Theatre for a series of plays, starring the previously reported Tony and Oscar winner Judi Dench, Rob Brydon, Richard Madden and Lily James.

First up will be Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale, starring Dench as Paulina and Branagh as Leontes. Co-directed by Rob Ashford and Branagh, the production will play October 17 through January 16, 2016 and officially open on November 7.

Harlequinade will play in rep with The Winter’s Tale. Penned by Terence Rattigan, the production is set for a limited engagement October 24 through January 13, 2016 and will also open on November 7. The comedy follows a classical theater company’s attempts to produce The Winter’s Tale and Romeo and Juliet, while the intrigues and dalliances of the company members are accidently revealed with increasingly chaotic and consequences. Branagh will perform in the show and co-direct with Ashford.

Francis Veber’s The Painkiller, adapted and directed by Sean Foley, will run March 5, 2016 through April 30 and open on March 17. The show follows two men. Two lonely hotel rooms. An adjoining door…One of them is a killer…one of them wants to die…What could possibly go wrong? Branagh and Brydon reprise the roles they previously played at Belfast’s Lyric Theatre.

Madden and James lead Romeo and Juliet, which is set for a limited engagement May 12, 2016 through August 13. Opening night is scheduled for May 25. Reuniting the stars of his acclaimed film of Cinderella, Branagh directs Shakespeareʼs heartbreaking tale of forbidden love.

The season will end with John Osbourne’s The Entertainer. Set against the backdrop of post-war Britain, the show conjures the seedy glamour of the old music halls for an examination of public masks and private torment. Ashford directs Branagh as Archie Rice. The Entertainer will run August 20, 2016 through November 12 and open on August 30.