Hollywood actor Chris Pine, best known for playing Captain Kirk in the Star Trek reboot, will make his London stage debut next summer in a new version of Anton Chekhov's early play Ivanov. The production, adapted and directed by Australian writer-director Simon Stone, will open at the Bridge Theatre in July and run until September.
Pine, who studied English at the University of California, Berkeley, has previously performed in US theatre productions including The Atheist and The Lieutenant of Inishmore. His film credits include Wonder Woman, Don't Worry Darling and last year's mystery Poolman, which he also co-wrote and directed. Of his London debut, Pine said: 'I'm excited to bring this complex character and story to life and to take part in Simon's singular creative process.'
Stone, known for rewriting scenes throughout rehearsals, described Pine as a 'uniquely sensitive and brilliantly intelligent' actor. 'I've seen in his work how hilarious he can be but also how moving: you can't do Chekhov without both,' Stone said. 'Ivanov is the most knotty of his male characters, a challenge and a gift.'
Chekhov's play, first performed in 1887, follows a debt-ridden landowner whose marriage deteriorates. Previous notable London productions include Kenneth Branagh's 2008 West End run opposite Andrea Riseborough in a version by Tom Stoppard, and David Hare's adaptation as part of the Young Chekhov trilogy at Chichester and the National Theatre in 2015 and 2016. Stone added: 'Chekhov is the master of finding the humour in our suffering and the crisis lurking underneath our joy.'
The production will reunite Stone's creative team from his current Bridge Theatre show, The Lady from the Sea, including set designer Lizzie Clachan, costume designer Mel Page, composer Stefan Gregory, lighting designer Nick Schlieper and casting director Jessica Ronane. Ivanov runs from 4 July to 19 September.
