SYNOPSIS
All's Well That Ends Well
Shakespeare’s classic tale All’s Well That Ends Well will be arriving at the Olivier National Theatre in June 2009. The famous romantic fairytale that has been captivating audiences for centuries will make welcome return to a London stage under the direction of Marianne Ellitt and the acting talents of Oliver Ford Davies, Hasina Haque, George Rainford and Michelle Terry. It is Shakepeare’s fairytale story where the conventions of the time were turned on their head and people began to re-interpret the logic of these tales. By the play’s end audiences will have witnessed a world of sexism and betrayal.
In All’s Well That Ends Well we are introduced the feisty character of Helena, the daughter of a poor physician who finds herself in love with Bertram, the son of the Count. She manages to win his hand in marriage after she cures the dying King but to win his love she must overcome a series of impossibly unrealistic tasks. Yet even if she somehow manages to succeed there is no guarantee that the man will return any feelings of love. He is an impossible man, saying that he will only stay by her side if she carries his child, yet refusing to sleep with her. But Helena is not one to give up easily and possibly against her better judgement, she chooses to stay with this stubborn man.
Stepping into the role of Helena is Michelle Terry, who stars alongside the likes of Oliver Ford Davies as the King of France and Clare Higgins as The Countess of Rossillion. Davies has appeared in various productions for the Royal Shakespeare Company, such as Henry IV, Henry V, Henry VI and Henry VIII alongside other theatre productions (involving Kinds) that include Richard II at the Almeida Theatre, King Lear at the same venue, King Cromwell at the Orange Tree Theatre and Hamlet for the National Theatre. His television credits include Inspector Morse and Kavanagh QC.
Higgins has appeared at the National Theatre before in productions that include Landscape, Oedipus, Major Barbara and her Olivier Award winning performance in Vincent in Brixton. She has also won an Olivier Award for her role in Hecuba, which appeared at the Donmar Warehouse.
All’s Well That Ends Well is at the Olivier National Theatre from Monday 22nd June 2009 to Saturday 11th July 2009.
