Paul Mescal on a Q&A panel for God's Creatures at the 2022 Quinzaine des Réalisateurs (Director's Fortnight), Cannes | via Wikimedia Commons
Paul Mescal, Monica Barbaro, Nicola Coughlan to Debut at National Theatre for New Season
Paul Mescal will star in two productions at the National Theatre in 2027. Britain’s prestigious cultural institution, which also transfers numerous productions to Broadway, will feature the celebrated actor in two classic 20th century plays, Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” and Tom Murphy’s “A Whistle in the Dark.”
The upcoming productions — whose announcements were made by the London venue’s new artistic director Indhu Rubasingham — will mark the “Normal People” and the latest “Gladiator” actor’s National Theatre debut. The new season of the established theatre will also include Monica Barbaro, who most recently played Joan Baez in Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown,” as well as the “Bridgerton” and “Derry Girls” actor Nicola Coughlan.
The Oscar-nominated Barbaro will play opposite the Oscar-nominated and Laurence Olivier-winning Lesley Manville, along with “The Hobbit” and Disney+’s “Rivals” actor Aidan Turner in “Les Liaisons Dangereuses,” one of the new season’s productions at the National Theatre. Coughlan will lead in “The Playboy of the Western World” from December 4.
In addition to Mescal, Barbaro, and Coughlan, Emmy-nominated “Black Panther” actress Letitia Wright will make her debut at the British theatre, starring in “The Story” which is a new play about racism and media culture.
During the announcement, Indhu Rubasingham dismissed suggestions that she and co-chief executive Kate Varah were seeking Hollywood names simply to drive ticket sales. According to Deadline, she expressed her desire to see Mescal take to the National’s stage as he’s “a proper actor, he’s a proper theatre actor” and “it’s about backing quality actors.”
The new artistic director of the theatre added same was true of Barbaro, noting, “we obviously knew she’d trained thoroughly in acting and dance and acting before we even approached her.”
Visit National Theatre’s official website for further information regarding the new season as well as current program.
