Full casting announced for The Watsons at Menier Chocolate Factory

The Watsons Menier Chocolate Factory cast

Set to return to the play and reprise their roles from the Chichester run are lead cast members Joe Bannister as Lord Osborne, Louise Ford as Laura, Grace Molony as Emma Watson, and Laurence Ubong Williams as Tom Musgrave alongside returning cast members Cat White (Miss Osborne), Elaine Claxton (Mrs Edwards), Elander Moore (Bertie), Jane Booker (Lady Osborne), John Wilson Goddard (Mr Watson), Laurence Ubong Williams (Tom Musgrave), Paksie Vernon (Elizabeth Watson), Sally Bankes (Nanny), Sam Alexander (Robert Watson), Sophie Duval (Mrs Robert), and Tim Delap (Mr Howard).

They will be joined by newcomers to the play Rhianna McGreevy as Margaret Watson alongside Isaac Forward, Sonny Fowler, and Teddy Probets, who will share the role of Charles Howard.

Joe Bannister's stage credits include Chariots of Fire at the Gielgud and Hampstead Theatres; Titus Andronicus and The Roaring Girl for the Royal Shakespeare Company; and As You Like It at the National Theatre.

Louise Ford's stage credits include A Midsummer Night's Dream at Shakespeare's Globe and Knight of the Burning Pestle at Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. Among her most notable TV credits is The Windsors.

Grace Molony's most notable stage credit is the Vaudeville Theatre production of Lady Windermere's Fan. She has also appeared in the film Mary Queen of Scots (2018) as Dorothy Stafford and is set to star as Jasmine Sapwood in the upcoming and long-awaited film adaptation of Artemis Fowl (2020), now currently in post-production.

Laurence Ubong William's stage credits include A Winter's Tale at the Orange Tree Theatre, Jumpy at Theatr Clwyd, and The Deep Blue Sea at the Chichester Theatre.

What is The Watsons play by Laura Wade about?

Based on a novel by Jane Austen that was never finished, The Watsons follows 19-year-old Emma Watson, who has just moved to a new town after her well-to-do aunt cuts her off financial support. She quickly becomes broke with expensive taste and if she's looking to avoid becoming a spinster and lift her and her sisters out of poverty, she's got to marry a man, and fast! The last thing she wants is to have to live with her ill-mannered brother and dreadful wife. Will Emma manage to find her rich prince charming? Luckily, she has plenty of potential suitors to choose from, including Lorde Osborne, who owns a castle, and the seductive Tom Musgrave.

Wade picks up the story exactly where Austen left off, writing Emma Watson's happy ending.

The Watsons play creative team

The play received rave reviews from critics and audiences alike for its run at the Chichester Festival Theatre. The London transfer is directed by Samuel West and features designs by Ben Stones, sound design by Gregory Clarke, and casting direction by Charlotte Sutton.

The Watsons playwright Laura Wade is perhaps best known for her most recent play, Home, I'm Darling, which ran at the Theatr Clwyd in Wales, the National Theatre, the West End's Duke of York's Theatre, and on tour and won the 2019 Olivier Award for Best Comedy. Her other writing credits include her acclaimed play Posh at the Royal Court and in London's West End, Tipping the Velvet at the Lyric Hammersmith and in Edinburgh, and The Riot Club on the silver screen.

The Watsons London theatre tickets on sale now!

Don't miss this new Jane Austen classic now finished by award-winning playwright Laura Wade. Off-West End play The Watsons is set to play a strictly limited run at the Menier Chocolate Factory from 20 September through 16 November 2019 and tickets have been selling fast! Be sure to book your tickets for The Watsons today to secure the best seats at the Menier Chocolate Factory at the best prices whilst stocks last.