Oscar-winning actress Brie Larson will make her West End debut in a revival of Sophocles' Electra.
In the play, written by an ancient Greek tragedian around 420 B.C., Electra is haunted by her father's assassination, and is consumed by grief, the need to survive, and the desire for revenge. When her long-lost brother Orestes finally returns, she prompts him to make a brutal and terrifying decision.
The play has been adapted by poet Anne Carson and will be directed by Daniel Fish, whose Broadway and West End productions of Oklahoma! won Best Musical Revival at the Tony and Olivier Awards, respectively.
Empire Street Productions, the company behind Slave Play at London’s Noël Coward Theatre, which is headed by Kit Harington and Olivia Washington, is producing the show. The creative team includes choreography by Annie B. Parson, set design by Jeremy Herbert, costume design by Doi Luthi, lighting design by Adam Silverman, sound design by Max and Ben Ringham, composer Ted Hearn, casting by Heather Basten CDG, sound and dialect by Kate Godfrey, and costume supervisor Deborah Andrews.
The play will open at the Theatre Royal Brighton from 13-18 January 2025, then move to the Duke of York's Theatre in London from 24 January to 12 April.
“I couldn’t be more excited to star in this Greek drama, or to be in better company with Danielle Fish and Anna Carson,” said Larson, who won an Oscar for her role in Room. “Storytelling has always been the way I organize my life, my feelings and my experiences. I look forward to sharing the space with the wonderful West End audience as we explore this timeless story.”
“What is ancient and what is contemporary? Carson’s translation poses that question,” Fish added. “It is an exciting challenge to work on Sophocles’ tragedy, through Carson’s words, and on the beautiful stage of The Duke of York with Brie Larson.”
