Zadie Smith's The Wife of Willesden Announces Casting for A.R.T. Run

American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University has announced the cast and creative team for its upcoming production of The Wife of Willesden. Performances will run from February 25-March 18 with an official March 2 opening at the Loeb Drama Center in Harvard Square. The Wife of Willesden is a Kiln Theatre production and is presented in association with BAM, where it will open April 1 (New York premiere).

Clare Perkins leads the cast as Alvita, The Wife of Willesden, and is joined by Marcus Adolphy as Winston/Mandela/Black Jesus, George Eggay as Pastor/Eldridge, Andrew Frame as Ian/Socrates/Bartosz, Troy Glasgow as Darren/Young Maroon, Claudia Grant as Polly/Sophie, Nikita Johal as Asma/Kelly, Scott Miller as Ryan/Colin, Jessica Murrain as Author/Zaire/Queen Nanny, and Ellen Thomas as Aunty P/Old Wife. Sophie Cartman is the understudy for Alvita and Aunty P/Old Wife.

The play is adapted by Zadie Smith from Chaucer's The Wife of Bath from The Canterbury Tales and directed by Kiln Theatre Artistic Director Indhu Rubasingham. The story is described as follows: "The Wife of Willesden introduces Alvita, a proper local legend who will tell her life story to anyone in the local West London pub—there's no shame in her game. The question is: are you ready to hear it? Because this woman's got the gift of the gab: she can rewrite mistakes into triumphs, turn pain into parables. And her love life? It's an epic poem. They call her the Wife of Willesden. Join her at the pub for an exuberant evening that celebrates the human knack for telling elaborate tales, especially about our own lives."

The Wife of Willesden is currently playing a return engagement at Kiln Theatre in London, following its sold-out premiere in 2021.