Kenneth Branagh has announced a season of five whopping plays at the Garrick Theatre with a whole host of famous faces starring in them. Setting up his own troupe under the name of Richard Branagh Theatre Company, stars will include Cinderella co-stars Lily James and Richard Madden, Judi Dench and Rob Brydon. Branagh himself will star in several of the shows and will direct a number of the productions alongside Rob Ashford. Sean Foley will also direct a play in the season.

The plays are, The Winter’s Tale, Harlequinade, The Painkiller, Romeo and Juliet and The Entertainer. Below is all you need to know about the shows, when they are happening and who they will feature.

The Winter’s Tale

Kicking off the sensational season will be Shakespeare classic, The Winter’s Tale. This timeless tragi-comedy blends court life for the gentry and a more simple pastoral life. Dame Judi Dench will star as Paulina and Kenneth Branagh will play Leontes. Rob Ashford will direct. The show will run in rep with Harlequinade, in which the cast rehearse a production of The Winter’s Tale.

When: 17th October – 16th January.

Harlequinade

The second show in Branagh’s anticipated season will be the Terrence Rattigan play, Harlequinade. The show is a rarely performed comedy in which a theatre company aim to produce The Winters Tale and Romeo and Juliet (hello intertextuality!) to chaotic and hysterical consequence. The show will run in rep with The Winter’s Tale.

Kenneth Branagh will perform as well as co-direct alongside Rob Ashford.

When: 24th October 2015 – 13th January 2016.

The Painkiller

Frances Veber’s play is third in Branagh’s line up. The play is about two lonely men in two separate hotel rooms. One of the men is a murderer, the other has a death wish. See where this is headed?

Rob Brydon and Kenneth Branagh reprise the roles they played to high acclaim at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast with Sean Foley directing.

When: 5th March – 30th April 2016

Romeo and Juliet

Having just directed the pair in box office hit, Cinderella, Kenneth Branagh brings his silver screen stars Lily James and Richard Madden to the West End in a version of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. James, who recently starred as Cinderella, and Madden, who played Prince Charming in Brannagh’s live action fairytale will now play opposite one another once more as star crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet. Kenneth Branagh directs.

Romeo and Juliet is considered to be one of the greatest and most tragic love stories of all time as well as one of Shakespeare’s finest works. The show tells the tale of two feuding families, the Montagues and the Capulets. Romeo is a young and zealous Montague and Juliet is a beautiful young teenage Capulet. Following a chance meeting at a masquerade ball, the pair fall in love but with devastating consequences to follow.

When: 12th May – 13th August 2016. BOOK

The Entertainer

Kenneth Branagh takes his turn as an angry middle aged man in a role made famous by Laurence Olivier. Starring in his own company’s production of The Entertainer, Branagh takes in the role of Archie and will be directed by Rob Ashford. This explosive play by John Osborne is set in post-war Britain amid the seedy glamour of old music halls.

When: 20th August 2016 – 12th November 2016.

Book tickets to the Kenneth Branagh’s Theatre Company season from 9am!

Woosh! How exciting! Let us know what you think about the shows and what you want to see.!