From Borgen to the Bard: The actress from cult Danish crime drama is to star in a production of Shakespeare's bloodiest play

PUBLISHED: 17:40 EST, 10 October 2013 | UPDATED: 17:45 EST, 10 October 2013

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Borgen babe: Birgitte Hjort Sorensen is set to star as Virgilia in a production of Shakespeare's bloodiest dramas Coriolanus

Birgitte Hjort Sorensen will be the calm sea at the centre of one of Shakespeare’s most ruthless and bloodiest dramas.

The actress, who starred in Danish television hit Borgen, will play Virgilia, wife of military victor-turned-political leader Coriolanus, in a production featuring Tom Hiddleston in the title role.

Hadley Fraser will play Coriolanus’s worthy foe, the mighty Aufidius, Mark Gatiss his loyal counsellor Menenius and Deborah Findlay the volcanic Volumnia — Virgilia’s mother-in-law.

Virgilia practises (sort of) a version of what Hillary Clinton tried to achieve when she was U.S. Secretary of State: soft power.

Birgitte agreed, adding: ‘She’s one of the few characters who doesn’t say a lot. It’s all going on inside. She’s the calm sea, almost, between her husband and Volumnia.’

The actress studied the Bard during her four years at the Danish National School of Performing Arts.

And one of the highlights, she told me, was reading the part of Henry V . . . in English.

But she has never performed Shakespeare in the UK.

She recently joined some cast members for a read-through of the text, led by director Josie Rourke.

Official rehearsals commence at the end of the month and previews start at the Donmar Warehouse on December 6.

After the run ends on February 8, Birgitte will return to Denmark to lead a production of The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg. The third season of Borgen starts on BBC4 early in the New Year.

Beckham stars are put through their paces

Movie on from Les Mis: Samantha Parks will play Jules, the part originally taken by Kiera Knightly

The team behind the Bend It Like Beckham musical are playing way off‑field as they prepare the show for the West End, in the hopes of avoiding unwanted attention.

A ‘development workshop’ was held last Saturday. Samantha Barks, one of the standouts of the Les Miserables movie, played Jules — the part taken by Keira Knightley in the 2002 film version that helped propel her to stardom.

Newcomer Tara Divina was cast as Jess, the football-loving Sikh schoolgirl who wants to curl the ball into the back of the net like her hero.

Also taking part in the run-through were Frances Ruffelle, Shobna Gulati, Preeya Kalidas and Richard Fleeshman.

However, no cast deals went beyond the workshop. The company was instructed not to talk or tweet about their participation in the performance that was directed by Gurinder Chadha — who also directed and co-wrote the film.

Apparently, there’s concern that any early reports in the press — such as this piece — will serve to heighten expectation.

‘What if we can’t live up to the attention? People get upset and lash out. Look what happened to the Spice Girls musical,’ an insider noted.

Composer Howard Goodall and lyricist Charles Hart will continue to work on the score (I’m told it’s impressive), the book will be tightened and a choreographic workshop held before the year’s end.

The cast rehearsed for two weeks before the workshop performance. Whether or not they continue with it depends on availability and other factors.

The goal is to have Beckham up and scoring by late 2014 or early 2015 — but not to sign any contracts for a theatre until the score and book have been tweaked to near-perfection.

Slowly does it for Bend It Like Beckham. A good friend of mine, who has nothing to do with the show, said that with its mixture of sounds and flavours, it sounded a lot like the big, original British musical we’ve all been waiting for. We will see.

Natalie Casey, who was Donna in TV’s Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps, will join Flora Montgomery, Edward Bennett and Sarah Woodward in In The Next Room or the vibrator play at the St James Theatre, London, from November 13.

Ghost star is in the first flush of love

More from Baz Bamigboye ...

Richard Fleeshman (right) has been waiting for the right role to return to the West End. He was a wealthy stockbroker-turned- spectre in Ghost — The Musical and now he’s about to play a . . . well, I’ll let him tell you.

‘He’s a municipal toilet clerk,’ the actor-singer laughed. ‘He looks after a loo.’

Fleeshman plays Bobby Strong in the London premiere of the charmingly titled cult Broadway musical Urinetown, about small-town corruption and love.

‘He’s more downtrodden than the guy in Ghost, but the love story is just as strong,’ the actor said.

He will star with Jenna Russell, Cory English and Jonathan Slinger at the St James Theatre from February 22. First, though, he’s climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, raising funds for the Calvert Trust.

Urinetown will be directed by Jamie Lloyd, who this week opened The Commitments at the Palace Theatre.

It’s a fabulous fun night out featuring great songs, new star Killian Donnelly and stars-in-the-making Denis Grindel and Joe Woolmer.

Watch out for...

Bertie Cavel plays a 19th-century magicians who use their powers to help England in the Napoleonic Wars in Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

Bertie Carvel and Eddie Marsan, who will take the title roles in the BBC television adaptation of Susanna Clarke’s novel Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.

The pair play 19th-century magicians who use their powers to help England in the Napoleonic Wars.

The book was 800 pages long, so a lot happens — which is why screenwriter Peter Harness has spread the tale across seven one-hour episodes.

Marsan — one of the best character actors working today — will play Norrell, a master magician, who takes on the dilettante Jonathan Strange as a pupil.

Carvel, who won acclaim for his performance as Miss Trunchbull in the hit stage musical Matilda, will play Strange.

Toby Haynes will have a cast read-through on October 23 before shooting on locations in Leeds, Montreal and Venice.

The mini-series is being produced by the BBC and Cuba Pictures in conjunction with BBC America.

Tom Edden, who wowed audiences as the hapless waiter Alfie in the National Theatre’s glorious comedy One Man, Two Guvnors in London and New York. He will play Fagin in director Daniel

Evans’s Sheffield Theatres production of Oliver! which begins performances on November 29 at the Crucible. Hayley Galvin will play Nancy, Ben Richards takes on Bill Sikes, Samual Bailey and Jack

Skilbeck Dunn will share the part of Oliver, and Jack Armstrong and Travis Caddy will alternate as the Artful Dodger.

Kathy Burke, who has assembled her cast to star in Mary J. O’Malley’s convent school-set comedy Once A Catholic.

The girls of Our Lady of Fatima are taught all the usual dogma by the nuns — but all they can think about is the rock music that’s about to shake their world — and boys.

The cast includes Richard Bremmer, Calum Callaghan, Sean Campion, Clare Cathcart, Oliver Coopersmith, Kate Lock, Molly Logan, Amy Morgan, Katherine Rose Morley and Cecilia Noble.
Previews start at the Tricycle Theatre from November 21.