Knightley’s return to the West End in The Children’s Hour

Hollywood stars are known for gracing the West End, often when taking a break from film, or to reengage with their classically trained roots – to varying degrees of success.

In 2002 Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow performed together in David Williamson’s Up for Grabs at Wyndham’s Theatre. In 2007, Pirates of the Caribbean actor Orlando Bloom, starred in In Celebration, and Josh Hartnett performed in Rain Man at the Apollo Theatre. Jude Law was another more recent internationally renowned actor to impress the capital when playing Hamlet in 2009.

Last year, South Londoner Keira Knightley played alongside Damian Lewis in The Misanthrope. Having impressed critics and the audience alike she was nominated for Best Actress in the Evening Standard Awards.

This year, Knightley will return to the stage to take part in The Children’s Hour by Lillian Hellman. Golden Globe nominee Elisabeth Moss will join her in the play set in 1930’s New England.

Karen Wright (Knightly) and Martha Dobie (Moss) run a 1930’s girls’ boarding school, where a schoolgirl’s whisper triggers a series of events, with devastating consequences.

The production, which was banned in London and several cities across America, received its world premiere on Broadway in 1934 and has gone worldwide since then. It was later taken to the big screen by director William Wyler, who produced two films based on the play; the first in 1936, adapting the story into a heterosexual love triangle, and again in 1961 starring icons such as Audrey Hepburn, Shirley MacLaine and James Garner, the latter achieving five Oscar nominations.

The last London production of this drama was at the National Theatre in 1994 starring Clare Higgins and Harriet Walter. Sonia Friedman and Scott Landis are producing the new show, under the direction of the ex-Royal Court artistic director Ian Rickson, after his theatrical triumph of Jerusalem.

The Comedy Theatre will open its doors to the public from 22 January until 30 April. Tickets are priced between £15 and £75.

Linda Sharkey blogs about fashion news, events, and video interviews with top fashion personalities, plus she shares her outfits at www.fashioninsideout.co.uk

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