All's Well That Ends Well | Globe

All's Well That Ends Well | Globe description

Shakespeare's seldom-staged classic comedy thriller All’s Well That Ends Well is in the capital, playing at the only candlelit venue in town. Directed by Chelsea Walker (Visit from an Unknown Woman, Hampstead Theatre) on her Globe Theatre debut, it's going to be sheer magic.

Chelsea Walker is delighted to be involved with what she calls a “thriller-esque social satire which interrogates power dynamics across class, gender and sexuality, and explores how far we’ll go to save face”. You can understand why the play demands such a brave, playful cast whose members are excited to rediscover and reframe the plot for modern audiences.

What's the plot?

After his dad dies, Bertram the Count of Rossillion leaves home to join the court of the poorly King of France. Helen, an ordinary woman, is in love with Bertram. When Helen manages to cure the king, she's rewarded with an offer she can't refuse: she can marry anyone she likes despite being a commoner. She chooses Bertram but he isn't happy, fleeing to Florence to join the Tuscan wars. Helen is determined not to give up. Will she win his heart?

A fantastic cast and creative team

Ruby Bentall (Our Country's Good) plays Helen and Kit Young (Shadow and Bone) is Bertram. They're joined by Catrin Aaron (Richard III), Emilio Doorgasingh (Game of Thrones), Richard Katz (The Fir Tree), Caroline Moroney (Pygmalion), Georgia-Mae Myers (Titus Andronicus), Kwami Odoom (Force Majeure), Siobhán Redmond (A Midsummer Night's Dream), William Robinson (Bacon), Sachin K. Sharma (Strike, Things You Should Have Done), and Adam Wadsworth (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child).

As well as director Chelsea Walker (Visit from an Unknown Woman), the creative team comprises candlelight designer Bethany Gupwell (Larmes de Couteat/Full Moon in March), co-costume designer and Costume Supervisor Megan Rarity (The Other Place), set designer and co-costume designer Rosanna Vize (King Lear), composer Simon Slater (Constellations), fight director Kevin McCurdy (The Colour Purple), and intimacy director Lucy Fennell (Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story).

Playing at Sam Wanamaker Playhouse

21 New Globe Walk, Bankside, London, SE1 9DT GB (venue info)

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