Freddie Fox, Henry Goodman, Josie Lawrence and Chizzy Akudolo in the UK Premiere of Alexis Michalik’s Edmond de Bergerac

• EDMOND DE BERGERAC WILL STAR FREDDIE FOX, HENRY GOODMAN, JOSIE LAWRENCE AND CHIZZY AKUDOLU

• THE MOLIÈRE AWARD-WINNING COMEDY OPENS AT THE BIRMINGHAM REPERTORY THEATRE FROM FRIDAY 15 MARCH UNTIL SATURDAY 30 MARCH

• FURTHER TOUR DATES HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED: YORK, NORTHAMPTON, CAMBRIDGE AND RICHMOND.

• THE PLAY HAS BEEN TRANSLATED BY JEREMY SAMS AND WILL BE DIRECTED BY ROXANA SILBERT

TICKETS ARE ON SALE

Edmond de Bergerac, Alexis Michalik’s hilarious comedy and French theatre phenomenon, will have its UK première at Birmingham Repertory Theatre from 15 – 30 March with a star cast led by Freddie Fox as Edmond Rostand, alongside Henry Goodman as Constant Coquelin, Josie Lawrence as Sarah Bernhardt and Chizzy Akudolu as Maria.

The five-time Molière Award winning comedy will then tour to York Grand Opera House, Northampton Theatre Royal, Cambridge Arts Theatre and Richmond Theatre.

This English language première has a new translation by Jeremy Sams and is directed by the current Artistic Director of Birmingham Rep, Roxana Silbert.

The cast also features Delroy Atkinson as Monsieur Honoré; Gina Bramhill as Jeanne; Nick Cavaliere as Ange Floury; Simon Gregor as Marcel; Harry Kershaw as Jean; David Langham as George Feydeau; Robin Morrisey as Léo and Sarah Ridgeway as Rosemonde.

Edmond de Bergerac is the hilarious story behind Cyrano de Bergerac. Set in Paris in 1897, playwright Edmond Rostand (Freddie Fox) is approaching his thirtieth birthday with no new plays but a whole lot of worries. He has not written anything in two years and in desperation has promised a new play to the acting superstar, Constant Coquelin (Henry Goodman).

A desperate Edmond draws on his problems to write a new comedy. It will be an unbelievable tale about the demands of his producers, the whims of the actresses, the jealousy of his wife, his doubting colleagues and the romantic adventures of his best friend. It shall be called Cyrano de Bergerac!

The original production of Edmond continues to play to packed houses in Paris at the Theatre du Palais-Royale.

Alexis Michalik will receive two UK premières of his work this season. Alongside Edmond de Bergerac at Birmingham Rep and on tour, Intra Muros will open at the Park Theatre, London from 3 April – 4 May, directed by Ché Walker. Michalik is an author, actor and director with previous writing credits including Le Porteur d’Histoire which has run for over 1500 performances to date and played around the world, as well as Le Cercle Des Illusionnistes. For these two pieces, Michalik received the Beaumarchais du Figaro Prize, the Jeune Théâtre de l’Académie Française Award and two coveted Molière Awards. He wrote and directed Edmond in 2016, winning five Molière Awards, having just celebrated its 800th performance in Paris and recently released as a feature film. Intra Muros is his most recent work, having opened in Paris, 2017 at the Théâtre 13 before transferring to the larger Théâtre La Pépinière, where it continues to sell out today.

Edmond de Bergerac will be designed by Robert Innes Hopkins. The movement director is Liam Steel and the composer is Dave Price. Sound design is by Dan Hoole and lighting design by Rick Fisher. Voice director is Stephen Kemble, casting director is Amy Ball and Jack McMahon is the assistant director.

Produced in association with Nicolas Talar.

LISTINGS

Birmingham Repertory Theatre and Adam Blanshay Productions present the UK première of
EDMOND DE BERGERAC
By Alexis Michalik
Translated by Jeremy Sams
Directed by Roxana Silbert

Birmingham Repertory Theatre
15 – 30 March
0121 236 4455

York Grand Opera House
1 – 6 April
0844 871 3024

Northampton Theatre Royal
8 – 13 April
01604 624811

Cambridge Arts Theatre
15 – 20 April
01223 503333

Richmond Theatre
29 April – 4 May
0844 871 7651

FREDDIE FOX | EDMOND ROSTAND
Theatre credits include: An Ideal Husband (Classic Spring); Travesties (Menier Chocolate Factory/SFP); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Go People); Romeo And Juliet (The Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company/Fiery Angel) Romeo & Juliet (Sheffield Crucible Theatre Productions); The Judas Kiss (Hampstead Theatre/Robert Fox Productions); Hay Fever (Playful Productions); Cause Celebre, A Flea In Her Ear (Old Vic Productions) and The Last 5 Years: The Musical (The Pit Theatre, Barbican Centre).

Television credits include: The White House Farm Murders (New Pictures); The Year Of The Rabbit / Ye Sweeney (Objective Media/Channel 4); The Joy Of Oscar Wilde, Orton – Laid Bare (BB2/IWC); Banana (E4/RED Productions); Cucumber (Channel 4/ REP Productions); Lewis VI: Generations Of Vipers (ITV/Mammoth Screen); Parade’s End (HBO/BBC/Mammoth Screen); The Mystery Of Edwin Drood (BBC); The Shadow Line (BBC/Company Pictures); Any Human Heart (Channel 4/Carnival Films); Shades Of Love (This September) (Gate Productions); Worried About The Boy (BBC/RED Productions) and Miss Marple: Why Didn’t They Ask Evans (ITV).

Film credits include: Black 47 (Pictures/IFB); Fanny Lye Deliver’d (BFI); King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword (Warner Bros); Victor Frankenstein (20th Century Fox); Pride (Pathe); The Riot Club (Film 4); The Three Musketeers (Constantin Film); St.Trinians II: The Legend Of Fritton’s Gold (Ealing Studios); The Northleach Horrors – short film (Plum Films); Freeze Frame (Elysian Films/Shorts International); John Curry: The Ice King - Documentary (New Black Films); Prince Louis of Battenberg VO, Royal Paintbox – Documentary and Words Of Everest – Documentary (ITV) and El Alamein – Documentary (BBC 2).

Radio and audio credits include: The Quanderhorn Xperimentations (Absolutely Productions/BBC Radio 4); Boswell’s Lives… Life Of Byron, Home Front, Dead End By John Godber, Cause Celebre: Radio Play, Vasily Grossman’s: Life And Fate, Once Upon A Time (BBC Radio 4 Productions); As Innocent As You Can Get (BBC 3 Radio Productions); Present Laughter, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Pier Productions); Dennis & Gnasher Unleashed - Animation (CBBC/Beano Studios); Watership Down – Animation (BBC/Netflix); Robin Of Sherwood: Knights Of The Apocalypse (ITV Audio) and The Cherry Orchard, The Seagull, Three Sisters (Wireless/Audible.com).

HENRY GOODMAN | CONSTANT COQUELIN
Theatre credits include: Honour (Park Theatre); Looking at Lucian (Ustinov Studio); Arturo Ui* - Nomination for Olivier Award, Best Actor (West End / Chichester); The Winslow Boy (The Old Vic); Yes, Prime Minister (West End / Chichester); Duet for One (West End / Almeida); Fiddler On The Roof (Sheffield Crucible / West End); Performances (Wilton Music Hall); The Gondoliers (ENO); The Hypochondriac (Almeida Theatre); The Birthday Party (Duchess Theatre); The Producers (Broadway); Feelgood (Garrick Theatre/Hampstead); Chicago – Nomination for Olivier Award, Best Actor in a Musical (Adelphi Theatre); Art (Wyndhams Theatre); Hysteria (Royal Court Theatre/West End); The Holy Rosenbergs, The Merchant of Venice - Olivier Award for Best Actor, Metropolitan Kabarett, Summerfolk, Guys and Dolls, Broken Glass, Angels In America, Pericles, After The Fall, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof and Guys And Dolls (National Theatre); Assassins - Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical (Donmar Warehouse); Richard III, They Shoot Horses, Don't They, Every Man in His Humour, Le Fer, The Devils, Redstar, Comedy Of Errors, Volpone, The Time Of Your Life, Jacques & His Master and Henry VIII (RSC).

Television credits include: The New Pope (Wildside/HBO); ABC Murders (Mammoth Film); Playhouse Presents (Two Brothers Pictures); Snatch (Little Island Production); Genius: Einstein (FOX); Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (ABC Studios); Penny Dreadful (Showtime); London Spy (Working Title); The Challenger Disaster (BBC Films); New Tricks (BBC TV); Doctor Weiss, Yes, Prime Minister, Mayor Of Casterbridge, Hamilton Mattress, Murder Rooms, Dalziel and Pascoe, Cold Lazarus, Broken Glass, Measure For Measure, Lovejoy, Maigret (BBC); Midsomer Murders (Bentley Productions); Nixon's The One (Hat Trick); The Silent and the Damned (Mammoth Screen); The Turing Project (Furnace Limited); Florizel Street (Granada ); Murder in Suburbia (Carlton); Keen Eddie (Frequency Films); Foyles War and London's Burning (ITV); The Merchant of Venice (The Performance Co.); Secret Weapon (ABC); Dirty Tricks (Dirty Tricks Ltd.); Arabian Nights (Hallmark); Unfinished Business (Alomo Productions); Christmas (World Productions Ltd); Degas & Pissarro Fall Out, The Gravy Train II and This is David Lander (Channel 4); 99 – 1 (Zenith Productions); Bust (LWT) and After The War (GTV).

Film credits include: Steven Berkoff's Tell Tale Heart (CK Films); Watership Down (42); Limehouse Golem (Number 9 Films); Their Finest (BBC Films); Love Is Thicker Than Water (Barnsbury Pictures Ltd); The Chosen (Oberon Cinematografica); Finding Altamira (Mare Nostrum Prod); Burnt (3 Arts Entertainment); Avengers: Age of Ultron (Marvel Studios); Woman In Gold (Origin Pictures); The Surprise (N279 Entertainment); Taking Woodstock (Focus Features); The Damned United (Columbia Pictures); Out On A Limb (Guerilla Films); Colour Me Kubrick (Colour Me K Productions Ltd); Green Street Hooligans (Baker Street); Churchill: The Hollywood Years (Little Bird Productions); The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (HBO Films); The Final Curtain (DNA Films); Notting Hill (Universal Pictures); The Saint and Private Parts (Paramount Pictures); Mary Reilly (NFH Productions); Son of the Pink Panther (MGM) and Queen of Hearts (C4 Films).

JOSIE LAWRENCE | SARAH BERNHARDT
Josie Lawrence trained at Dartington College of Arts, where she gained a Theatre degree B.A Honours and was later made an Honorary Doctor of Arts. She has also been awarded the Doctor of Arts (Wolverhampton University), and Doctor of Letters (Aston University). In 2011 she was awarded the Freedom of Sandwell.

Theatre credits include: Loves-Lies‑Bleeding (Coronet Printroom); Mother Courage (Southwark Playhouse); Amedee, The Cherry Orchard and Hapgood (Birmingham Repertory Theatre); Faust, The Cherry Orchard and The Taming of The Shrew -The Dame Peggy Ashcroft Award for Best Actress (The Royal Shakespeare Company); Frozen, Picasso’s Women and The Alchemist (The National Theatre); Do Not Feed (Landor Theatre); The King and I (London Palladium); Acorn Antiques The Musical (The Haymarket); Alarms and Excursions (The Gielgud); Much Ado About Nothing - Manchester Evening News Best Actress Award (Manchester Royal Exchange); Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare’s Globe); Pygmalian and Tatyanna (Nottingham Playhouse); Moll Flanders (Lyric, Hammersmith); Valued Friends (Hampstead); Passionaria (Newcastle Playhouse); Carmen (Bolton Octogon); Accidental Death Of An Anarchist and The Trial of Frankenstein (Plymouth Theatre Royal); Poppy and The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist (Half Moon Theatre); Berlin Days Hollywood Nights and Songs for Stray Cats (Paines Plough).

Television credits include: Good Omens (Amazon/ BBC); Stella (Sky 1); Humans (BBC1); You Have Been Watching with Meera Syal (GOLD); The Kennedy’s (BBC2); Jonathan Creek, Robin Hood, Eastenders, Doctors, Casualty, Holby City, Common Ground, Wizards and Aliens, The Last Detective, A Many Splintered Thing, SWALK and Lunch In The Park with Paul Merton, Bill’s New Frock, Absolutely Fabulous, Miss Marple, Poirot, Rachel and The Roarettes, Campaign, Norbet Smith, A Life (BBC); Minder, The Old Curiosity Shop, Three series plus Christmas special of Outside Edge, Fat Friends, The Flint Street Nativity, Downwardly Mobile, The Green Man, Not With A Bang (ITV); Skins (E4); Josie, Keen Eddie, Nine series of Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Friday Night Live and The Comic Strip Presents (Channel 4).

Film credits include: Finding Your Feet (Eclipse Films); Enchanted April (BBC Films); The American Way (Kerrash Limited/Tamburra Films); The Sin Eater (Renegade Films); Married 2 Malcolm (Cinelove); Mam (Vigo Films); Looking for Vi (Newland Films); Round Ireland with a Fridge (Fridge d’Or Films) and Bonobo (Fable Films).

Improvisation credits include: 9 series of Whose Line Is It Anyway?, A Word in Your Era: Trust Us With Your Life, The Masterson Inheritance (Radio 4); The Lawrence Sweeney Mix (Radio 4); Whose Line Is It Anyway? 2015 (The Adelphi) and 2016 (London Palladium). Since 1985 Josie has been a member of The Comedy Store Players based at London’s famous Comedy Store. They are in The Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running comedy group. In 2016 Josie created the all female Impro group The Glenda J Collective.

Radio credits include: Little Lifetimes, Regular contestant on Just A Minute, Agnes Nutter in Good Omens, Thanks A Lot Milton Jones, Reluctant Persuaders, Vent, Married, Maggie Hart Galtieri, The Provoked Wife, Pride And Prejudice, Man of Soup, The Big Fun Show, Book At Bedtime.

Audio Books and Animations include: The Little Miss Series, Secrets, The Illustrated Mum, Bad Girls, The Bed and Breakfast Star by Jacqueline Wilson, Jamaica Inn, Enchanted April, Seesaw, Mercedes Ice, Room on The Broom, Sun at Midnight, Dog and Duck, Dawdle The Donkey, Elephant Family, Stone Hill Ponies, Peter Rabbit, Pigling Bland and Gogs.

CHIZZY AKUDOLO | MARIA
Theatre credits include: The Rec Room (Triforce Promotions/ Soho Theatre); Script Slam (Soho Theatre); King Of The Castle (Tell Tarra); The Vagina Monologues (UK Tour/Mark Goucher Ltd); Hells Fury – rehearsed reading (Royal Court/Tell Tarra); Soho Script Slam, Ready, Steady, Write, The Weave (Soho Theatre); Da Olympics 2012 – rehearsed reading, Club V, The Best of Funny Black Women on the Edge (Theatre Royal Stratford East); Blaggers (Aarawak Moon); BBC Talent Urban Sketch Showcase (BBC) and Common Threads (Gwent Theatre).

Television credits include: Hetty Feather Christmas, Death In Paradise, Shakespeare And Hathaway, Tracey Breaks The News, Holby City, Silent Witness, Mongrels, Twenty Twelve, Unzipped with Miranda Hart, Maynard – rehearsed reading, The Marc Wootton Project, Stupid, Eastenders, 15 Storeys High (BBC); The Jewish Enquirer (Magnet Films); Sorry, I Didn’t Know (Triforce Creative Network/ ITV); Hood (BBC Three); Meet The Pranksters (Gallowgate TV); Campus (Monkier Pictures/ Channel 4); The Inbetweeners, series 3 (Bwark Productions); The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret (RDF Television); Scoop, Scoop 2, Scoop 3 (CBBC); Jinx (Kindle Entertainment); Team UK, The Complete Guide To Parenting, Green Wing (Talkback); Gigglebiz, Nuzzle & Scratch (Cbeebies); Dead Set (Zeppotron); Roman’s Empire (Tiger Aspect) and Cul De Sac (Picture Farm).

Film credits include: County Lines (Loupe Films); In The Loop (BBC Films); Dustbin Baby (Kindle Entertainment); The Most Unromantic Man In The World (Burning Vision Entertainment); Jack Brown & The Curse Of The Crown (Hot Gold Ltd); Weave Wars (short), 5 Minutes (short) (Don't Give Up Your Day Job Productions); Agent (short) (NFTS); Home Sweet Home (short) (Calling Card Productions); Jeans Tooth (short) (Republic Productions); Child Accident Prevention Trust (short) (Dawson Films); Stretch Yer Tights (short) (City Films); Having More Sence (short) (Diaz Pictures); Miss Sparks (short) (Archistudio Films) and Hood Documentary (short) (BBC Three).

Radio credits include: The Headset Set (BBC Radio 4); Carphone Warehouse (Radioville) and Sharp Cuts (Choice FM).

Writing credits include: Shorts Life’s A Bitch, 5 Minutes and Weave Wars (Don’t Give Up Your Day Job Productions) and rehearsed reading The Rec Room (Soho Theatre).

Chizzy is also a regular panellist on Loose Women and was a contestant on the 15th series of Strictly Come Dancing.

PLAYWRIGHT | ALEXIS MICHALIK
Alexis Michalik is a French actor, author and director, the son of a French artist of Polish origin and a British translator. It was in the role of Romeo that Alexis took his first steps on the stage, in 2001, in Juliette and Roméo directed by Irina Brook, at the Théâtre de Chaillot, Paris.

Having won a place at CNSAD in Paris in 2003, he decided not to attend, and instead staged hsi first show, UNE FOLLE JOURNÉE (A Crazy Day) a free adaptation of the Marriage of Figaro by Beaumarchais, which opened in 2005 at Avignon Off festival.

In 2006, he wrote and staged LA MÉGERE À PEU PRES APPRIVOISÉE (The Quasi Taming of the Shew) in Avignon, an adaptation of Shakespeare's THE TAMING OF THE SHREW, a musical version, in which he played the role Petrucco. The show ran for 5 years with over 300 performances. In 2008, he created R&J, an adaptation for three actors of Shakespeare's ROME AND JULIET, in which he played, among other parts, Romeo. The play was performed nearly 400 times. In 2010, he adapted and staged CARMEN ROCK & SOUL OPERA featuring the singers Julie Zentatti and Christophe Mali, and about 20 actors, singers, dancers, and musicians, at the Ciné 13 Théâtre, Paris.

In 2011, he wrote his first play LE PORTEUR D’HISTOIRE (The Historyteller), which met with tremendous critical and public success. It is still running today and clocked up more than 2000 performances. In January 2014, he wrote and directed his second play, LE CERCLE DES ILLUSIONNISTES (The Circle of Illusionists) at the Théâtre de La Pépinière, Paris. The play combines fiction and biographical narrative about the illusionist Robert-Houdin and the film-maker Georges Méliès. It is still running today with over 600 performances to its credit so far.

Both Le Porteur and Le Cercle were nominated at the Molières 2014 (France’s top theatre award) in the categories of Best Play, Best Author, and Best Director. Alexis won two Molières: Author and Director. Jeanne Arènes also won Best Upcoming Actress Award for her performance in The Circle. In September 2016, he wrote and directed EDMOND at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal, a play about the difficult birth of Cyrano De Bergerac, the play written by Edmond Rostand. Edmond has been sold out since the opening night and has just celebrated its 800th performance.

In March 2017, he staged his latest play, INTRA MUROS, in Paris, still running at La Pépinière Théatre.

Alexis Michalik is also an actor. He has appeared in over 40 films, TV movies and series.

He has just directed his first full-length feature film, EDMOND, based on his own play, soon to be released.

TRANSLATOR | JEREMY SAMS
Director credits include: What’s In A Name (Birmingham Repertory Theatre); Die Fledermaus (Metropolitan Opera); The Rehearsal (Chichester); Monsieur Popular (Bath); The Wizard Of Oz (West End, Toronto & US tour); La Perichole (Garsington Opera); Educating Rita (Menier Chocolate Factory & Trafalgar Studios); The King And I (Royal Albert Hall); The Sound Of Music (London Palladium, Toronto, Japan & UK tour); 13 The Musical (Broadway); Donkey’s Years (Comedy Theatre); The Little Britain Live (UK tour); Noises Off (National Theatre, West End & Broadway); Passion (West End); Wild Oats and Marat/Sade (National Theatre); The Wind In The Willows (Tokyo, Old Vic); Two Pianos, Four Hands (Birmingham Repertory Theatre and West End); Spend Spend Spend (Plymouth, West End & tour - Olivier nominated) and Benefactors (Tour, West End).

Lyric credits include: Amour (Tony nominated) and Ghetto (Broadway).

Translation credits include: What’s In A Name (Birmingham Repertory Theatre); Monsieur Popular, Les Parents Terribles, Indiscretions, The Miser and Mary Stuart (National Theatre); The Rehearsal, Becket and Don Giovanni, Figaro’s Wedding, La Bohème, The Magic Flute and Wagner’s Ring Cycle (English National Opera) and The Merry Widow (Covent Garden).

As composer, he has written, arranged and directed music for over 50 shows for theatre, TV and radio, including: The Wind In The Willows and Arcadia (National Theatre); The Merry Wives Of Windsor (Royal Shakespeare Company); The Mother (BBC); Enduring Love (Pathé), for which he won the Ivor Novello Award for Best Film Score, and Jane Austen’s Persuasion (BBC Films), for which he won a BAFTA.

As adaptor, his credits include the book of the musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (London & New York – Olivier nominated).

He wrote and devised The Enchanted Island for the Metropolitan Opera, New York

DIRECTOR | ROXANA SILBERT
Roxana Silbert is Artistic Director of Birmingham Repertory Theatre and was previously an Associate Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Roxana was Artistic Director of Paines Plough Theatre Company (2005-2009), Literary Director at the Traverse Theatre (2001-2004) and Associate Director at the Royal Court (1998-2000).

Birmingham Repertory Theatre credits include: Woyzeck (in association with Birmingham International Dance Festival 2018); What Shadows, The Government Inspector (in association with Ramps On The Moon/UK Tour); Anita And Me (with Theatre Royal Stratford East); The King’s Speech (with Chichester Festival Theatre/UK Tour); Of Mice And Men; Khandan (Family) (with Royal Court); Dunsinane (National Theatre of Scotland/Royal Shakespeare Company); A Life Of Galileo (with Royal Shakespeare Company and Bath Theatre Royal) and Tartuffe.