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"Fans of the Bard of Avon will be well aware that a theatrical adaptation of Oscar-winning movie Shakespeare in Love is about to hit the West End. It is a stage adaptation of a film that used the play-within-a-play concept to tell the story of the world&amp;#039;s most favourite playwright.  If you&amp;#039;re confused, it doesn&amp;#039;t meta. Just watch the video above to get an idea of how it will all transpire on the boards. Shakespeare in Love has been in previews at London&amp;#039;s No\u00C3\u00ABl Coward Theatre ahead of tomorrow&amp;#039;s opening night (July 23).  It has been adapted for the stage by Lee Hall (Billy Elliot) and features a company of 28 actors and musicians. It is directed by Declan Donnellan and designed by Nick Ormerod, and tickets are on sale now.  Tom Bateman plays William Shakespeare and Viola de Lesseps is played by Lucy Briggs-Owen. Anna Carteret plays Queen Elizabeth and Tony Bell takes on the role of Ralph.   &amp;quot;Everyone who loves the theatre loves what Tom Stoppard and Marc Norman created with the miracle that is Shakespeare in Love,&amp;quot; said Thomas Schumacher, President and Producer of Disney Theatrical Productions. &amp;quot;It is a Valentine to the Theatre and what better way to celebrate that than to turn to consummate theatre artists; Declan, Nick, Lee and Sonia are all working at the top of their game and it is an honour for our Disney Theatrical team to partner with artists of their weight and calibre.&amp;quot;   Sonia Friedman added: &amp;quot;Every now and then a story comes along that cries out to be staged. This is one such story. Shakespeare in Love bursts with life and is a moving and hilarious celebration of everything that we love about the inspirational and transformative power of theatre. &amp;quot;This project has been several years in development and Tom Schumacher and I are thrilled to be confirming its world premiere in London.&amp;quot; Shakespeare in Love won seven Academy Awards in 1999, including Best Screenplay. It starred Joseph Fiennes, Gwyneth Paltrow, Dame Judi Dench and Ben Affleck. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/showbiz/news/a585764/watch-a-video-from-new-play-shakespeare-in-love/>