It All Turns Out Well! Shakespeare in Love, Starring Tom Bateman & Lucy Briggs-Owen, Extends London Run

The acclaimed West End production of Shakespeare in Love, which is rumored to be Broadway-bound in the near future, has extended its run at London's Noel Coward Theatre through January 10, 2015. Adapted from the hit 1998 film by Tony winner Lee Hall and directed by Olivier winner Declan Donnellan, the play officially opened on July 23.

Set in London during the late 16th century, Shakespeare in Love centers on young playwright William Shakespeare, who is struggling with his latest work Romeo and Ethel the Pirate's Daughter. A great fan of Shakespeare's plays is young, wealthy Viola who is about to be married to the cold-hearted Lord Wessex, but constantly dreams of becoming an actress. Women were not allowed to act on stage at that time, but, dressed up as a boy, Viola successfully auditions for the part of Romeo. Soon she and William are caught in a forbidden romance that provides rich inspiration for his play.

The current cast includes Tom Bateman as Will Shakespeare, Lucy Briggs-Owen as Viola De Lesseps, Ian Bartholomew as Tilney, Tony Bell as Ralph, Anna Carteret as Queen Elizabeth, Paul Chahidi as Henslowe, David Ganley as Burbage, Richard Howard as Sir Robert De Lesseps, Harry Jardine as Sam, Abigail McKern as Nurse, David Oakes as Marlowe, Patrick Osborne as Mr. Wabash, Alistair Petrie as Wessex, Doug Rao as Ned Alleyn, Ferdy Roberts as Fennyman and Colin Ryan as John Webster.

The movie, penned by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard and directed by John Madden, won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Original Score, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actress for Gwyneth Paltrow and Best Supporting Actress for Judi Dench. Shakespeare in Love also starred Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush and Tom Wilkinson.