Episodes actress Tamsin Greig and comedian John Sessions are to star in the debut stage play by award-winning novelist William Boyd.
It is the latest venture for the author, whose novel Restless was adapted into a critically acclaimed two-part BBC drama starring Hayley Atwell and Michelle Dockery which aired over Christmas. He is also working on a new James Bond book and has previously written screenplays.
Billed as a comedy, the play, titled Longing, is based on two short stories by Anton Chekhov. It features Kolia, who is invited by his two oldest friends to stay on their country estate as a break from his life in Moscow.
He starts off enjoying his rural surroundings but events rapidly spiral into chaos as he uncovers unspoken passions and missed chances all around him.
Greig, 46, recently finished a West End run in the comedy Jumpy. She also starred in the Channel 4 hospital sitcom Green Wing and plays Debbie Aldridge in Radio 4’s long-running soap opera The Archers. She and Sessions will appear in Longing at the Hampstead Theatre from the end of next month.
Boyd has said of his latest project: “I feel like a new boy on his first day at school. I know lots of playwrights, lots of directors, and lots of actors, but to actually have a play on is extraordinary and very exciting.
“It reminds me of my first novel coming out, so it’s all new and a feeling of ‘what will the future bring?’”
Longing will run from February 28 to April 13. Visit hampsteadtheatre.com for tickets and more information.
