Screen stars take to the boards

IF all your world is a stage, head to England next year -- between February and June, the star-studded lineup will rock you. The scions of the England’s acting world will take over historic theaters in London and Stratford-upon-Avon.

Among the performers: Judi Dench, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, F. Murray Abraham, Daniel Radcliffe and Maggie Smith, to drop a few names.

Such a stellar lineup hasn’t appeared on London and Stratford stages since the memorable theatrical season organized to celebrate the queen’s Silver Jubilee in 1977.

Audiences owe this cosmic conjunction of theatrical luminaries to an odd couple: William Shakespeare and Harry Potter. Thanks to a break in the filming of the “Harry Potter” movie series, several of the series’ stars are appearing in limited-run stage productions. And the Royal Shakespeare Company, which launched the yearlong Complete Works series last April, has been staging all of the Bard’s works, including plays, sonnets and poems, at six venues in Stratford-upon-Avon and the Novello Theatre, the company’s base in London’s West End.

Luckily for those latecomers who love theater, the company has saved the best for last. Among upcoming productions and stars:

* Oscar-winner Dench as “Mistress Quickly” in a new musical based on Shakespeare’s “Merry Wives of Windsor,” directed by Gregory Doran at Stratford’s Royal Shakespeare Theatre. The production will run Dec. 2 to Feb. 10.

* “Star Trek: The Next Generation” star Patrick Stewart as Prospero in “The Tempest,” at London’s Novello Theatre. The play opens Feb. 27 and runs through March 24.

* “Harry Potter” star Radcliffe and Richard Griffiths (“The History Boys”) in “Equus,” directed by Thea Sharrock and running Feb. 27 to June 5 at the Gielgud Theatre in London. “Equus” is Radcliffe’s stage debut and features a controversial nude scene involving his character. Sixty seats have been added on the stage, which British newspaper the Daily Mail’s drama critic Baz Bamigboye predicts, “are going to be the most sought-after seats in London.”

* Another “Potter” stalwart, Maggie Smith, in Edward Albee’s “The Lady From Dubuque.” Dates and venue are still to be announced.

* “Lord of the Rings’ ” wizard McKellen in “King Lear” at the Courtyard Theatre in Stratford, running March 24 to June 21. Says Lear director Trevor Nunn, former RSC artistic director, “Ian and I vowed that one day we would do ‘King Lear’ together.”

* Oscar-winner Abraham in “The Merchant of Venice,” a short run March 22 to 31 at the Swan Theatre.

To buy tickets and for more information: for Royal Shakespeare Company plays in Stratford-upon-Avon, www.rsc.org.uk; for the Gielgud and Novello theaters (with a $4.50 booking charge) at www.delfontmackintosh.co.uk.