It has been announced that both Emlyn Williams’s Accolade and Eduardo de Filippo’s Filumena will take to the stage as part of the 2024 season.
It has been announced that prior to limited UK tours and under the directorship of award-winning director Sean Mathias. Accolade will be at Theatre Royal Windsor from 31 May to 15 June and will then tour until 13 July. Filumena will run at Theatre Royal Windsor from 4 to 19 October and will then tour until 25 November.
Emlyn Williams’s Accolade is an examination of the price of success and the power of trial-by-media. Initial casting for the production is set to include: Alasdair Buchan (The Da Vinci Code, An Inspector Calls), Kayleigh Cooper (A Christmas Carol, Wonka), Sara Crowe (Fallen Angels, The Constant Wife), Gavin Fowler (Merchant of Venice 1936, A Picture of Dorian Gray), Jamie Hogarth (Dom – The Play, MAMMA MIA!), David Phelan (Mission Impossible, Breakfast at Tiffany’s), Narinder Samra (Passenger, Happy Birthday Sunita), Sarah Twomey (Paddington in Peru, The Sandman), with further casting to be announced.
Meanwhile in the Autumn, Felicity Kendal will lead the cast in the theatre’s revival of Filumena, Eduardo de Filippo’s classic comedy (with English version by Keith Waterhouse & Willis Hall). Seen as the writer’s best work, it questions the family ties that bind us and whether we can ever escape our past. Further casting has yet to be announced.
Director Sean Mathias said of staging the two plays, “These two plays are not what they first appear to be. Accolade is atypical of Emlyn Williams, examining success as approved by the establishment, it quickly deconstructs that success and then looks to smash it. The central character, Will Trenting, was written by the author for himself to play in the world premiere – a character lionized by an order he despised, Will contains shades and shadows of the Welshman himself, who refused to fit into any boxes. Williams had a deep fascination with the psychology of the criminal or alternative mind, and Accolade is a riveting theatrical reflection of his interests.
“Filumena poses as a colourful comedy that soon turns into a dark, probing examination of family and the law. A fascinating study of manipulation and the human psyche in extremis. Full of trickery and deceit, it is a wonderful mockery of the flawed constraints of traditional values. I am thrilled and excited to be working with Felicity Kendal; she is an actress I have long admired and her unique brand of comedy and sensuality will be a perfect blend for her portrayal of Filumena.
“Both Williams and De Fillipo were actors and writers as well as great individuals. These two plays are shining examples of their original talents.”
To book tickets for the plays at the Theatre Royal Windsor visit: https://theatreroyalwindsor.co.uk/