Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park cast update

The Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park, which starts previews for its opening production of To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, adapted for the stage by Christopher Sergel, from 16 May to 15 June 2013, has has announced casting for three of its other productions...

Pride and Prejudice, based on the novel by Jane Austen. Adapted for the stage by Simon Reade, from 20 June to 20 July 2013. Directed by Deborah Bruce, cast includes Jane Asher (Lady Catherine De Bourgh), Ed Birch (Mr Collins), Leah Brotherhead (Mary/Miss De Bourgh), Imogen Byron (Kitty Bennet), Sophia Capasso (Georgina), Olivia Darnley (Charlotte Lucas), Caroline Harker (Mrs Gardiner), Rob Heaps (Mr Bingley), Yolanda Kettle (Jane Bennet), Jennifer Kirby (Elizabeth Bennet), Rebecca Lacey (Mrs Bennet), Frances McNamee (Caroline Bingley), David Oakes (Mr Darcy), Barnaby Sax (Mr Wickham), Eleanor Thorn (Lydia Bennet), Timothy Walker (Mr Bennet) , David Whitworth (Sir William). As the Bennet sisters haplessly search for love in Jane Austen’s ultimate romantic comedy, it is Mr Darcy who unwittingly finds his match.

The Winter's Tale, by William Shakespeare, re-imagined for everyone aged six and over, daytimes from 29 June to 20 July 2013. Lewis Goody (Florizel), Guy Burgess (Leontes), Dean Nolan (Polixenes), Sirine Saba (Hermoine), Alexandra Maher (Paulina/Camillo) and Kezrena James (Perdita). Tells the story of a lost princess raised by a shepherd and of her secret romance with a prince. As we follow her adventure, we encounter a bear chase, a statue that comes to life, a sheep shearing contest and an unexpected family reunion.

The Sound of Music, from 25 July to 7 Sep 2013. Music by Richard Rodgers, lyric Oscar Hammerstein II, Book by Howard Lindsay & Russel Crouse, suggested by 'The Trapp Family Singers' by Maria Augusta Trapp. Directed by Rachel Kavanaugh. Cast includes Charlotte Wakefield (Maria Rainer) , Michael Xavier (Captain Von Trapp), Faye Brookes (Liesl) , Helen Hobson (Mother Abbess), Caroline Keiff (Elsa Schraeder), Joshua Tonks (Rolf), Kimberley Blake, Helen Colby, Samuel Edwards, Tim Frances, Victoria Hinde, Christopher Hunt, Michael Matus, Harry Morrison, Gemma Page, Laura Pick, Stuart Matthew Price, Anna Simmons, Chloe Taylor, Helen Walsh. The score for The Sound Of Music includes My Favourite Things, Do-Re-Mi, Edelweiss, Climb Ev'ry Mountain, Sixteen Going on Seventeen, The Lonely Goatherd and of course the title song The Sound of Music.

- by Darren Dalglish