Gemma Arterton to Star in London Revival of The Duchess of Malfi

Stage and screen star Gemma Arterton will star in The Duchess of Malfi in the inaugural production of the indoor Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare’s Globe. Penned by John Webster in 1612, the revenge tragedy will be helmed by the Globe’s artistic director Dominic Dromgoole and is set to run from January 9 through February 16, 2014.

In a news release, Arterton said that playing the titular role “seemed an irresistible opportunity” and that she looks “forward to the adventure of performing in such an intimate and wonderful space.”

The Duchess of Malfi is a combination of coups de theatre, horrific set-pieces and vivid characters. In the intimate Jacobean tragedy, the widowed Duchess of Malfi longs to marry her lover, the steward Antonio. But her rancorous brothers, Ferdinand and the Cardinal, are implacably opposed to the match. When their spy, Bosola, discovers that the Duchess has secretly married and carries Antonio’s child, they exact a terrible and horrific revenge.

RADA trained Arterton made her professional stage debut at the Globe in 2007 as Rosaline in Love’s Labour’s Lost. Other London theater credits include The Master Builder and The Little Dog Laughed. Her TV and film credits include Tess of the D’Urbervilles, Quantum of Solace, Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, St Trinian’s, The Disappearance of Alice Creed, Hansel and Gretel and Runner Runner.

The first ever Broadway transfer of a Shakespeare Globe production is currently playing at the Belasco Theatre. Starring Tony winner Mark Rylance, Twelfth Night and Richard III are being performed in repertory.