Geoffrey Streatfeild is to return to the Royal Shakespeare Company to play troubled husband Sir Peter Teazle in Sheridan’s The School for Scandal which will run in repertoire in Stratford.
Streatfeild last performed for the RSC from 2006 to 2008, playing Henry V in Michael Boyd’s histories cycle at both The Courtyard Theatre, Stratford and at The Roundhouse, London.
Tara Tijani will make her RSC debut as society beauty Lady Teazle. Also appearing with the company for the first time are Siubhan Harrison, who plays conniving Lady Sneerwell, John Leader as Charles Surface and Yasemin Özdemir as Maria.
Stefan Adegbola, who played Aaron in the RSC 2017 production of Titus Andronicus, will be Joseph Surface in The School for Scandal and Wil Johnson will play Sir Oliver Surface.
Completing the cast are Jessica Alade (Lappet), Omar Bynon (Careless), John Dougall (Rowley), Riess Fennell (Bill), Emily Houghton (Mrs Candour), Yasemin Junqueira (Moppet), David Mara (Trip), Tadeo Martinez (Snake), Shazia Nicholls (Morehouse), David Partridge (Sir Harry Bumper), Jason Thorpe (Crabtree) and Patrick Walshe McBride (Sir Benjamin Backbite).
Tinuke Craig will direct. Set and costume designer will be Alex Lowde and Oliver Fenwick will be lighting designer. The creative team will also feature composer D J Walde, sound designer Max Pappenheim, movement director Ingrid Mackinnon, video designer Ravi Deepres, dramaturg Jude Christian and casting director Matthew Dewsbury CDG.
Craig said, “I’m so thrilled to be reviving this delightful play and to be working with such a skilled and inventive group of actors. There’s something about Sheridan’s approach to comedy that feels startingly fresh, relevant and contemporary despite being written more than 250 years ago.
“Vanity, envy, gossip, self-delusion, sleaze—it doesn’t take much to see how little our habits have changed over the years! And to be making this work at such an exciting time in the RSC’s history is the cherry on the cake.”
The School for Scandal will run in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford from Saturday 2 July until Friday 6 September. It will play in repertoire with Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor, with some of the cast appearing in both shows.