Jude Law is to return to the Donmar Warehouse to star in Eugene O’Neill’s Anna Christie this summer.
The production, which sees him team up with Ruth Wilson, forms part of Michael Grandage’s final season as Artistic Director of the Donmar Warehouse, a season which also includes Douglas Hodge in John Osborne’s Inadmissible Evidence and Eddie Redmayne as Richard II.
Law, who played Hamlet in Grandage’s production as part of the Donmar West End season in 2009, will play Mat Burke to Wilson’s Anna Christie in O’Neill’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play about love and forgiveness. Directed by Rob Ashford, it plays from 4 August to 8 October (press night 9 August).
Best known for his screen work, which includes Sherlock Holmes, The Talented Mr Ripley, Alfie and Cold Mountain, Law has previously appeared on stage in ‘Tis A Pity She’s A Whore at the Young Vic and Les Parents Terribles at the National Theatre.
Wilson was directed by Ashford in A Streetcar Named Desire at the Donmar Warehouse in 2009, winning a Laurence Olivier Award for her performance. The actress has also appeared on stage at the Almeida theatre and National Theatre and has screen credits including Luther, The Prisoner and Capturing Mary.
Ashford is an Associate Director of the Donmar Warehouse, alongside Jamie Lloyd, who directs the second new production in the season, Osborne’s Inadmissible Evidence, which plays from 13 October to 26 November (press night 18 October).
Hodge, who was directed by Grandage in the West End production of Guys And Dolls in 2005, will play Bill Maitland, a middle-aged lawyer who is struggling to avoid the harsh truths of his life and keep a hold on reality. As those closest to him begin to draw away, he puts himself on trial to fight for his sanity.
In addition to his acting credits – including La Cage Aux Folles which won him a Laurence Olivier Award and Tony Award – Hodge is also a director who has previously directed Dimetos, Murder In The Cathedral and Absurdia at the Donmar.
Lloyd, who will shortly direct The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at the Donmar, has also directed productions including Passion and Polar Bears at the venue.
Grandage will close his 10-year reign as Artistic Director by directing a new production of Shakespeare’s Richard II, starring Eddie Redmayne, whom he recently directed in John Logan’s award-winning Red.
Richard II, which plays from 1 December 2011 to 4 February 2012 (press night 6 December), is an epic tale of destruction, ruin and decay that casts light on the decline of a kingdom and the solitude of power.
Redmayne, who won a Laurence Olivier Award and a Tony Award for his performance in Red, had previously appeared at the Donmar in Hecuba in 2004. His work also includes The Goat, Or Who Is Sylvia? at the Almeida theatre and Now Or Later at the Royal Court, along with films Glorious 39 and The Other Boleyn Girl and television dramas The Pillars Of The Earth and Tess Of The D’Urbervilles.
The three new productions follow the already announced The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Moonlight and Luise Miller.
Grandage, who will step down as Artistic Director following Richard II, commented: “After nearly 10 years running the Donmar, it is a very exciting and emotional moment to announce my farewell season. From next month to February 2012 we will be presenting six new productions and I am delighted this final year celebrates so much of the repertoire we have presented over the last decade. It is particularly wonderful to be joined by so many friends and colleagues in this last season of work – it is these collaborations and creative partnerships both on stage and with the staff at the Donmar, that have made the achievements of the past 10 years possible, and I hope the range and diversity of our programme continues to reach out to many more people in the year ahead”.
Since joining the Donmar in 2002 and directing his first production, The Vortex, Grandage’s time as Artistic Director has seen him direct numerous productions including the award-winning The Wild Duck, Frost/Nixon, Grand Hotel, Othello and Caligula.
Expanding the reach of the tiny Covent Garden venue, Grandage has taken many productions on tour in the UK and abroad, transferred several shows to Broadway, staged a high-profile West End season and given young directors a chance to shine in the Donmar Trafalgar season. That initiative will enjoy its second season later this year with young directors Hamish Pirie, Abbey Wright and Paul Hart having the chance to direct a show at Trafalgar Studios.
Grandage has also announced his intention to purchase an office, education and rehearsal space for the company before he departs, helping to secure the long-term future of the Donmar Warehouse.
Currently playing at the Donmar is Grandage’s production of King Lear, starring Derek Jacobi as the old monarch, which plays until 5 February.
CB