Award-winning actress Sophie Okonedo is to return to the London stage this winter to star in Joe Penhall’s new play Haunted Child at the Royal Court.
In the drama, which opens in December, Okonedo, who was nominated for a BAFTA for her portrayal of Winnie Mandela in the TV movie Mrs Mandela, will play the mother of a small boy who is haunted by noises and visions of his absent father.
Haunted Child marks Okonedo’s return to the Royal Court, where the actress, who received an Oscar nomination for her performance in Hotel Rwanda, has previously appeared in productions including Night Songs, I Just Dropped By To See The Man and Been So Long.
Okonedo is joined in Haunted Child by Ben Daniels, who was most recently seen in the Donmar Warehouse production of Luise Miller. Though Daniels makes his Royal Court debut in Penhall’s drama, he has a host of London stage credits to his name, including Thérèse Raquin and Three Sisters at the National Theatre and The Wild Duck and The God Of Hell at the Donmar. To many he will be best known for his television roles in series including Law And Order and Cutting It.
Penhall’s chilling play about the things we believe and their consequences runs Downstairs at the Royal Court from 2 December, following Alexei Kaye Campbell’s new play The Faith Machine, which begins previewing next week, and April De Angelis’s family drama Jumpy.
MA