The largest performance space at London’s National Theatre, the Olivier Theatre, welcomes back in-person audiences beginning June 16 with a production of Dylan Thomas’ Under Milk Wood. Michael Sheen stars in the play, alongside Tony nominee Susan Brown, Ifan Huw Dafydd, Alan David, Michael Elwyn, Kezrena James, Karl Johnson, Gaynor Morgan Rees, Anthony O'Donnell, Siân Phillips, and Cleo Sylvestre.
Featuring additional material by Siân Owen and directed by Lyndsey Turner, the production is staged in-the-round. The Olivier shifted to this configuration when it reopened for the cut-short Death of England: Delroy. The creative team includes set and costume designer Merle Hensel, lighting designer Tim Lutkin, movement director Imogen Knight, sound designer Donato Wharton, and composer Edward-Rhys Harry.
The National’s smaller Dorfman Theatre reopened June 2 with its production of After Life, written by Jack Thorne and directed by Jeremy Herrin. The two conceived the project, a co-production with Headlong, with Bunny Christie, inspired by the Hirokazu Kore-eda film.
Both productions are being presented with socially distanced seating in place for all performances. The U.K. government had hoped to lift all remaining capacity restrictions for theatres June 21, but shifted the timeline to July 19 earlier this week.
