Former Hustle star Marc Warren will return to the London stage this autumn as the iconic prisoner Cool Hand Luke.
The stage adaptation of Donn Pearce’s acclaimed novel will open at the Aldwych theatre on 3 October, following previews from 23 September.
Warren, whose most recent screen appearance has come in Sky’s drama Mad Dogs, will play the role made famous on film by Paul Newman, that of Luke Jackson, a World War II veteran turned convict and rebel, whose defiant spirit leads him to numerous escape attempts and all manner of extreme antics, making him a legend among his fellow prisoners.
The production marks Warren’s first foray onto the London stage since starring opposite Diana Vickers and Lesley Sharp in The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice.
Cool Hand Luke, which is adapted by Emma Reeves (Carrie’s War) and directed by Novel Theatre’s Artistic Director Andrew Louden, follows Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story On Stage into the Aldwych theatre. The musical version of the iconic chick flick finishes its successful five-year London run on 9 July.
MA