TV stars to boost city’s theatre season

Leeds-born John Simm, best known as Sam Tyler from TV series Life on Mars will be returning to Sheffield to appear in Betrayal, following his performance as Hamlet in 2010.

He is just one of a number of faces appearing on stage who will be known to audiences for a wealth of TV shows and film roles.

Henry Goodman, who starred in Fiddler on the Roof at Sheffield Crucible in 2006, a show which transferred to London’s West End a year later, is set to appear in the play Copenhagen in February, part of the Michael Frayn season. Goodman has appeared in movies including In The Loop and The Damned United and on the stage of the National Theatre and the RSC.

The restoration comedy The Way of the World, at the theatre in February, will feature Ben Lloyd-Hughes, one of the stars of the BBC’s Young James Herriot, Deborah Findlay, who played Miss Tomkinson in Cranford, and Sinead Matthew, who appeared in Mike Leigh’s Vera Drake and Happy Go Lucky.

The show will also feature Yorkshire-born Samuel Barnett, one of the original stars of Alan Bennett’s The History Boys.

The Sheffield Theatres season of Michael Frayn work has attracted some impressive names, including Geoffrey Streatfield (Calum in Spooks) Abigail Cruttenden (Sean Bean’s wife in Sharpe) Aidan McArdle (Silvester in Garrow’s Law) and Patrick Drury who has appeared in Cold Blood, Silent Witness and Inspector Morse.

The announcement follows a season which has seen star of The Wire Dominic West appear on the stage of the Crucible.

Artistic Director Daniel Evans said: “As the Crucible enters its fifth decade, it is a genuine privilege to be leading the organisation during this special time.”

The full season is on sale now. Details on 0114 2496000.