John Mahoney cast in "Romance"; Stephen Dillane's solo interpretation of "Macbeth"

John Mahoney cast in "Romance"; Stephen Dillane's solo interpretation of "Macbeth"

Directed by Lindsay Posner

John Mahoney, best known for playing Martin Crane in the popular TV series Frasier, will lead the cast as the 'Judge'. Born in Blackpool, England, he moved to the US where he studied at Quincy University, Illinois before joining the US Army. His extensive work with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago includes The Dresser, Death and the Maiden, Of Mice and Men, Death of Salesman and Absent Friends. He was last seen on the London stage in Steppenwolf's The Man Who Came to Dinner at the Barbican in 1998. In New York his theatre work includes House of Blue Leaves, The Weir, The Subject of Roses and Orphans. He made his film debut in 1960 and has played supporting roles in such films as Suspect and Moonstruck, Frantic, Barton Fink, In the Line of Fire, The Hudsucker Proxy and Primal Fear. He also provided the voices for several characters in the animated film Antz. Mahoney appeared in Frasier from its inception in 1993, until the final episode in 2004, and received Emmy and Golden Globe award nominations for his role as Marty.

Romance, which received its world premiere earlier this year at the Atlantic Theatre Company in New York, is a satirical farce set in a modern day courtroom exploring subjects ranging from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, sexual fidelity, and world peace.

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Incorporating each individual character as if they are sliding in and out of Macbeth's conscience, this re-imagining of the play has been developed by Dillane and director Travis Preston with the support of the Sundance Theater Lab in LA. The production now receives its UK premiere at the Almeida.

Dillane is accompanied by three live musicians, Jeremy Drake, Harris Eisenstadt and Vinny Golia - the renowned experimental jazz composer who has written the score.

It is produced by The Center for New Theatre at CalArts, designed by Christopher Barreca, costumes by Ellen McCartney with lighting by Benoit Beauchamp.

Stephen Dillane's acting credits include Tom Stoppard's trilogy "The Coast of Utopia" at the National Theatre; "The Real Thing" at the Donmar Warehouse, West End and Broadway; the title roles in "Uncle Vanya" directed by Katie Mitchell for the Royal Shakespeare Company and "Hamlet" directed by Peter Hall at the Gielgud Theatre. His film work includes Franco Zeffirelli's "Hamlet", Michael Winterbottom's "Welcome to Sarajevo", Stephen Daldry's "The Hours" and "The Truth About Charlie" directed by Jonathan Demme. On television he was most recently seen as Karenin in Channel 4's "Anna Karenina" and Edward Cazalet in the BBC's "The Cazalets". His other television work includes "An Affair of the Mind", "The Rector's Wife" and "An Affair of the Mind".