The Royal Shakespeare Company's Twelfth Night Transfers to West End

The Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Twelfth Night will take the West End stage, transferring to the Duke of York's Theatre beginning December 19 and running through February 27, 2010. Directed by Gregory Doran, the classic comedy of mistaken identities previously enjoyed a sell-out run with the RSC.

Twelfth Night stars Richard Wilson as Malvolio, James Fleet as Sir Andrew Aguecheek, Richard McCabe as Sir Toby Belch, Nancy Carroll as Viola, Alexandra Gibreath as Olivia, Jo Stone-Fewings as Orsino, Sam Alexander as Sebastian and Miltos Yerolemou as Feste. The company also includes: Ian Abeysekera (Officer), Laurence Dobiesz (Valentine), Alan Francis (Sea Captain), Tony Jayawardena (Fabian), Simeon Moore (Antonio), Pamela Nomvete (Maria), Demi Oyediran (Lady), Prasanna Puwanarajah (Priest), Ashley Taylor-Rhys (Curio) and Maya Wasowicz (Lady).

The run includes a performance on the true "twelfth night" (the final day of the twelve days of Christmas before Epiphany begins) on January 5, 2010.

Wilson is best known for his much-loved role of Victor Meldrew in the TV comedy series One Foot in the Grave. His long and distinguished career as both actor and director in theatre, film and TV most recently includes Merlin, Demons, New Tricks, Whipping it Up, Waiting for Godot and What the Butler Saw.

Fleet is best known for his roles on television and in film, having appeared on Little Dorrit, The Vicar of Dibley, Kevin and Perry the Movie, Crossing the Floor, Sense and Sensibility and Four Weddings and a Funeral. James is currently performing in The Observer at the National Theatre in London.

McCabe’s work for the RSC includes King John, Timon of Athens, Three Hours After Marriage, White Devil and The School of Night. Richard’s films include The Duchess, Einstein and Eddington, The Constant Gardener and Notting Hill.

Carroll’s previous RSC appearances include Henry IV, As You Like It and The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. She has more recently appeared on stage in Waste at the Almeida and in The Man of Mode and The Voysey Inheritance at the National Theatre. Her television work includes: Doctors and The Life and Times of William Shakespeare for the BBC.

Gilbreath’s last appeared as the RSC in Merry Wives - the Musical. Her other credits include The Tamer Tamed, The Taming of the Shrew, As You Like It, The Winter’s Tale and Cyrano de Bergerac.

Stone-Fewings played Orsino for the RSC in Lindsay Posner’s version of the play in 2001. Other credits include Richard III, Henry VIIII, Cymbeline and The Taming of the Shrew. Other theater credits include The 39 Steps, Angels in America, The Country Wife and King Lear.

Alexander has appeared in Hamlet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Love’s Labour’s Lost, all directed by Gregory Doran at The Royal Shakespeare Company.

Yeremolou very recently was seen in Othello for the RSC. His other work for the company includes Beauty and the Beast and The Winter’s Tale. Additional credits include A Comedy of Errors, Tintin and The Ramayana.

Doran’s recent RSC productions include A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Hamlet, performed in The Courtyard Theatre before transferring for an acclaimed run at the Novello theatre in London’s West End in 2008. Hamlet won the Whatsonstage award for Theatrical Event of the Year. His other RSC credits include Love’s Labour’s Lost, Merry Wives – the Musical, Macbeth, King John, Henry VIII, The Canterbury Tales and Timon of Athens.

The designer is Rob Jones with lighting by Tim Mitchell, and music composed by Paul Englishby. Sound is by Martin Slavin, Movement is by Struan Leslie and the fight director is Terry King.