James McAvoy to star in Cyrano de Bergerac at the Playhouse Theatre

James McAvoy will star in a revival of Cyrano de Bergerac, adapted by Martin Crimp and directed by Jamie Lloyd at the Playhouse Theatre.

Cyrano de Bergerac dramatises the life of the titular character, a 17th century French playwright and novelist, whose works challenged beliefs and morals at the time. Originally written by Edmond Rostand, the play follows Cyrano's relationships with two friends named Roxane and Christian. 

In an article by Baz Bamigboye, James McAvoy will lead the cast as Cyrano. Best known for appearing in the X-Men series as Charles Xavier / Professor X, McAvoy has appeared in a number of West End productions and has received three Olivier Award nominations for his performances in Macbeth as the title role, Three Days of Rain as Walker and Ned and The Ruling Class as Jack Gurney.

The upcoming West End production marks Lloyd's second directorial credit for Cyrano, previously directing a 2012 Broadway revival starring Douglas Hodge in the titular role and Patrick Page. Lloyd's recent directorial credits include six productions as part of the Pinter at the Pinter season including Betrayal, as well as Apologia, The Maids and Doctor Faustus.   

Although performance dates for Cyrano de Bergerac are to be confirmed, a tweet by Baz Bamigboye states the play will open at the Playhouse Theatre either later this year or in January 2020.  

Details on further casting and a creative team are to be announced.

^{Photo credit: Gage Skidmore (Flickr) under CC 2.0}