Kristin Scott Thomas and Lily James will star together in a new play, Lyonesse, later this year.
The work, written by Penelope Skinner, will be directed by Ian Rickson and will run at the Harold Pinter theatre from October 17 to December 23.
Lyonesse tells the story of Elaine (Scott Thomas) a reclusive actor who remerges after three decades. Now ready to share what happened to her, she invites young film executive Kate (James) to her Cornish home.
The play will be produced by Sonia Friedman Productions (SFP) whose credits include The Book of Mormon, Harry Potter and The Cursed Child and the upcoming Stranger Things: The First Shadow.
“I’m a huge admirer of both Kristin Scott Thomas and Lily James, and am so grateful for Sonia Friedman’s faith and vision in giving this new play a home in the West End,” said Skinner, who won the George Devine Award and the Evenign Standard Award for Most Promising Playwright for The Village Bike in 2011.
“I was inspired to write Lyonesse after wondering what would happen if the dramatic action of a traditional revenge tragedy was flipped, so that the story instead became about the person upon whom revenge had been sworn,” she said. Skinner’s previous works for stage include Angry Alan, Meek, Linda, The Ruins of Civilisation, Fred’s Diner, Eigengrau and F***ed.
Director Rickson has collaborated 11 times with SFP, including on major West End plays such as Jerusalem, Rosmersholm, Walden, The Children’s Hour and The Birthday Party. Rickson previously worked with Scott Thomas on a 2007 Royal Court production of The Seagull for which Scott Thomas won an Olivier award.
“Working with Ian is one of the great joys of my professional life,” said Scott Thomas. “And a new play is such an adventure. Penelope Skinner’s writing had me gripped from the first page. I love the questions the story raises.” Scott Thomas most recently starred on stage in Peter Morgan’s The Audience in 2015.
“I have always wanted to work with Ian Rickson,” said James. “When I received Penelope Skinner’s brilliant play, I read it in one sitting and adored it – I was utterly gripped by these strong, original characters. To work with Sonia Friedman again is an absolute dream but most importantly, I am so happy to be reunited with my friend, Kristin Scott Thomas.”
The two actors actors previously worked together in the 2017 film Darkest Hour and in the 2020 Netflix film adaptation of Rebecca.
James was nominated for a Golden Globe award for playing Pamela Anderson in the controversial Hulu Pam & Tommy miniseries which aired last year, and most recently starred on stage as Eve Harrington in All About Eve which ran at the Noël Coward Theatre in 2019.
Lyonesse will be designed by Georgia Lowe, whose recent credits include Henry VIII at The Globe (2022), Anna Karenina at the Crucible Theatre (2022) and The Trials at the Donmar Warehouse (2022). Lighting will be by Jessica Hung Han Yun, who recently worked on the RSC’s My Neighbour Totoro at the Barbican.
Music will be by Oscar-winning composer Stephen Warbeck, while sound will be by Tingying Dong, who worked on Lyndsey Turner’s The Crucible at the National Theatre (2022).
