Nigel Barrett to Replace Linus Roache in Owain & Henry

Nigel Barrett will take over the role of Henry IV in Owain & Henry after Linus Roache withdrew from the production due to illness, according to WhatsOnStage.

Roache and Michael Sheen were originally set to lead the cast. Roache was to play Henry IV, the English king, and Sheen was to play Owain Glyndŵr, the Welsh leader the play is named after. Sheen is also one of the production's two co-directors, alongside Steffan Donnelly.

The play is written by Gary Owen. It is a co-production, meaning two organisations share the work of making it. The partners are Wales Millennium Centre, the arts centre in Cardiff, and Welsh National Theatre, the national theatre company of Wales.

The historical setting explains why the two roles sit at the centre of the story. Owain Glyndŵr led a rising against English rule in Wales in the early 1400s. Henry IV was the king who sent armies to crush it. The play puts the two men face to face, so the pairing of the leads carries much of the drama.

For theatregoers with tickets, the change means a different actor in one of the two central parts. Stage replacements of this kind are common when a performer cannot continue, and they are usually announced close to the first performance. Anyone holding seats for the production should check with the venue for any further details.

Barrett's casting is the latest change to the production's line-up. It is also a reminder of how much depends on a single role in a play built around two people. Audiences who had Roache in mind will now see Barrett take the part.