Ballet dancer and actor Will Kemp will join the cast of the first major West End revival of Peter Shaffer's 1973 play Equus. The production, directed by Thea Sharrock and starring the previously announced Daniel Radcliffe, Richard Griffiths, Jenny Agutter and newcomer Joanna Christie, opens at the Gielgud Theatre on February 27, following previews from February 16.
The atmospheric play tells the story of Alan Strang Radcliffe, a troubled stable boy who blinds the six horses with a metal spike. Dr. Martin Dysart Griffiths, the psychiatrist who treats him, exposes the truths behind the boy's demons but in so doing finds himself forced to confront his own. Kemp will play Nugget, one of the horses in Strang's care. The part seems sure to take full advantage of Kemp's acting skills as well as his advanced physicality as a classical dancer.
Kemp trained at the Royal Ballet Seniors and then Royal Ballet Upper School. In 1995 at the age of 17, he was accepted into Matthew Bourne's cutting edge dance company, Adventures in Motion Pictures AMP. Swiftly thereafter he garnered rave notices for performances in Bourne's productions of Swan Lake, Cinderella and The Car Man, whichprompted Paramount studio head Sherry Lansing to dub him “the James Dean of ballet.” He has since began a successful film career with roles in Van Helsing and the forthcoming With Will in Mind, and was the face of a global ad campaign for the Gap clothing company.
The remaining cast for Equus has now also been announced. It includes Jonathan Culle, Colin Haigh, Karen Meagher, Gabrielle Reidy, Greig Cooke, Joel Corpuz, Temujin Gill and Jami Quarrell.
