One of our favourite gay / bisexual movies has been turned into a stage play with music and we’re rejoicing, but it seems it’s not the famed Ang Lee version.
Mike Faist, who was nominated for a BAFTA, and Lucas Hedges, who was nominated for an Oscar, are set to star in a London stage adaptation of Annie Proulx’s bestselling novel, Brokeback Mountain. The play, which will incorporate music, is scheduled to run at the Sohoplace Theatre in the West End for 12 weeks, beginning on May 10.
Nica Burns, the theatre’s owner and producer, emphasized that the play is based on Proulx’s original short story, which was published in The New Yorker in 1997, and not on the critically acclaimed 2005 film directed by Ang Lee and starring Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal.
Mike Faist, who received a BAFTA nomination for his performance in West Side Story, has been cast as Jack Twist in the London stage adaptation of Brokeback Mountain. Lucas Hedges, who earned an Oscar nomination for Manchester By The Sea in 2016, will play Ennis Del Mar.
The story, which follows two cowboys who fall in love in the vast expanses of Wyoming, resonated with readers and viewers alike. Ashley Robinson, a writer from Brooklyn, approached Annie Proulx about securing the stage rights, which were ultimately granted.
Jonathan Butterell, who brought the stage and screen adaptations of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, will direct the play, with Dan Gillespie Sells serving as a close collaborator and music writer. Eddi Reader, a singer-songwriter, will perform on stage with a country and western band featuring a pedal steel guitarist.
