The National Theatre has revealed full casting ahead of its revival of Dear Octopus by Dodie Smith (The Hundred and One Dalmatians).
Already announced is Lindsay Duncan ((Sherwood, His Dark Materials, A Discovery of Witches) as Dora Randolph, and she will be joined by Amaia Naima Aguinaga, Alice Bounsall, Bessie Carter, Pandora Colin, Miriam Cooper, Bethan Cullinane, Kate Fahy, Tom Glenister, Jo Herbert, Billy Howle, Ethan Hughes, Deven Modha, Syakira Moeladi, Amy Morgan, Celia Nelson, Dharmesh Patel, Malcolm Sinclair, Natalie Thomas and John Vernon.
Nine children will perform the roles of Kathleen (Scrap), Bill and Guinevere (Flouncy) over the course of the season: Kalyani D’Ambra, Ariella Elkins-Green, Serena Guo, Isla Ithier, Molly Jin, Felix Tandon, Ashwin Sakthivel, Tarun Sivakanesh and Asha Sthanakiya.
The creative team also includes set and costume designer Frankie Bradshaw, lighting designer Oliver Fenwick, sound designer Tingying Dong, composer Nico Mulhy, casting director Bryony Jarvis-Taylor, company voice work by Shereen Ibrahim and Liz Flint and staff director Júlia Levai.
This is the first revival for Dodie Smith’s play since the 1960s, and is directed by Emily Burns (Jack Absolute Flies Again).
Promising to be heartbreaking and joyful, the play is a moving dissection of family and what it means to grow up and return home.
Set on the eve of WWII, Dear Octopus sees the Randolph family reunited for a 50th wedding anniversary. As the weekend’s celebrations unfold, the family walks a tightrope between intimacy and estrangement, camaraderie and rivalry, love and hate.
Dear Octopus is playing at the National’s Lyttelton Theatre from 7 February to 27 March 2024.
More about tickets to Dear Octopus at the National Theatre in London
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