Previews for director Robert Icke's contemporary adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet and Aeschylus' Oresteia at Park Avenue Armory have been postponed as Lia Williams departs the productions due to an injury to her Achilles tendon.
Previews for Hamlet, originally scheduled for June 1, will now begin June 10. Williams will be replaced in the role of Gertrude by Tony winner Jennifer Ehle (The Real Thing, The Coast of Utopia). Opening night remains scheduled for June 28, with a run through August 13.
Set to reprise her role as Klytemnestra, Williams will be replaced by Olivier nominee Anastasia Hille. Original dates for the production had been June 9 for previews and June 21 for opening night. Previews will now begin July 8, with opening night set for July 26.
“Stepping into Lia’s shoes is no easy task, but we are truly honored that Jennifer Ehle and Anastasia Hille are joining the company. They are both such incredible stage and screen actors, and we are excited to work with them in offering these two productions. Lia is an astronomical talent, and my longtime friend and collaborator. We wish her the speediest recovery, and I look forward to our next collaboration together once she is back on her feet,” said Icke in a statement.
Joining Ehle in the cast of Hamlet are Alex Lawther as the title role, Angus Wright as Claudius, Olivier winner Luke Treadaway as Laertes, Kirsty Rider as Ophelia, Peter Wight as Polonius, Joshua Higgott as Horatio, Tia Bannon as Guildenstern, Calum Finlay as Rosencrantz, and Michael Abubakar as Marcellus.
Hille will be joined by Wright as Agamemnon/Aegisthus, Treadaway as Orestes, Rider as Doctor, Wright as Menelaus, Higgott as Talthybius, Bannon as Electra, and Abubakar as Calchas.
David Rintoul, Hara Yannas, Gilbert Kyem Jr., Ross Waiton, and Marty Cruikshank fill out the cast. Cruickshank, Finlay, Higgott, Rintoul, Wight, and Wright all starred in the original Almeida Theatre production of Hamlet. Though Icke’s Hamlet and Oresteia premiered at the Almeida Theatre, his adaptations of the two family dramas will be performed in repertory together for the first time at Park Avenue Armory.
Park Avenue Armory will be reaching out to ticketholders. For tickets and more information, visit ArmoryOnPark.org.
