Natascha McElhone Joins Cast Of Fatal Attraction At Theatre Royal Haymarket

Posted on 17 January 2014

Natascha McElhone will play Alex Forrest in the world stage premiere of Fatal Attraction, directed by Trevor Nunn at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.

Written by James Dearden and directed by Trevor Nunn, Fatal Attraction will open at the Theatre Royal Haymarket on 25 March 2014, with previews on 8 March and is booking to 21 June 2014.  Designs are by Rob Jones with lighting by Paul Pyant and sound by Paul Groothuis.  Full casting will be announced shortly.

 
This story of obsession and revenge explores how a chance meeting in a bar and a casual encounter quickly becomes a living nightmare for Dan Gallagher, a successful New York lawyer, and his young family. After spending one weekend with the gorgeous Alex Forrest, he assumes he can just walk away, but Alex is a woman who refuses to be ignored. She pursues Dan and his family with terrifying consequences. 
 
Natascha McElhone’s (Alex Forrest) stage credits include Richard III and A Midsummer Night’s Dream for the Open Air Theatre Regents Park, The Count of Monte Cristo at Manchester Royal Exchange, Mishe Mokiev’s production of The Cherry Orchard at the Leicester Haymarket Theatre and more recently, Honour at Wyndhams’ Theatre.  Her extensive film credits include Surviving Picasso, The Truman Show, The Devil’s Own, Ronin, Solaris, The Secret of Moonacre Manor, Mrs Dalloway, Laurel Canyon, Ladies in Lavender, The Kid, Theatre of Dreams and Love’s Labour’s Lost.  More recently McElhone starred in The Sea opposite Rufus Sewell and Ciaran Hinds. Her many television credits include NBC’s mini-series Revelations, The Company and Sleepyhead for Sky TV.  McElhone stars as Karen in the popular Showtime TV series Californication, now airing its last and final season.
 
James Dearden wrote his Academy Award nominated original screenplay for Fatal Attraction in 1986, based on his short film Diversion, which he wrote, produced and directed in 1979.  He wrote and directed Pascali’s Island in 1987 - starring Ben Kingsley, Charles Dance and Helen Mirren - which was selected as the official British entry for the 1988 Cannes Film Festival.  Dearden has worked extensively as a screenwriter in Hollywood for a number of years, during which time he also wrote and directed the feature films A Kiss Before Dying and Rogue Trader.  He recently co-wrote the screenplay of Albert Cohen’s Belle de Seigneur.  This theatrical version of Fatal Attraction marks his first venture into live theatre.
 
Trevor Nunn returns to the Theatre Royal Haymarket where as Artistic Director he directed Flare Path, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, The Tempest and The Lion In Winter.  Nunn was the longest-serving Artistic Director and Chief Executive of the Royal Shakespeare Company (1968 to 1986). From 1997 to 2003 he was Director of the National Theatre.  He has directed the world premieres of Arcadia, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, The Coast of Utopia and Rock 'n' Roll, and of Cats, Starlight Express, Aspects of Love, Sunset Boulevard and The Woman in White.  More recently his theatre credits include A Little Night Music for the Menier Chocolate Factory, in the West End and on Broadway, Cyrano de Bergerac for Chichester Festival Theatre, Inherit the Wind and Kiss Me Kate for The Old Vic, Birdsong and A Chorus of Disapproval at the Comedy Theatre, Relative Values for the Theatre Royal Bath, All That Fall in London and off Broadway and Scenes from a Marriage at the St James Theatre.
 
Fatal Attraction is produced by Theatre Royal Haymarket Productions, Robert Fox and Patrick Ryecart.  

Image: Wikipedia