Friends star Matthew Perry will return to the West End for the first time in more than a decade next February to star in the world premiere of his debut play The End Of Longing.
The hugely successful US actor will reunite with acclaimed director Lindsay Posner to bring the fast-paced, bittersweet comedy to the Playhouse Theatre for a strictly limited season from 2 February to 14 May. The pair previously worked together in 2003 when Perry was last seen on the London stage in Sexual Perversity In Chicago.
The End Of Longing tells the story of Jack, Stephanie, Joseph and Stevie: four lost souls entering their 40s and searching for meaning. After sharing one raucous night together in a downtown Los Angeles bar, their lives become irreversibly entwined in a rollercoaster journey that forces them to confront the darker sides of their relationships.
Speaking about his hugely exciting return to the stage, Perry commented: “Being on stage makes you feel naked. Being on stage in a play that I have written will make me feel doubly naked. So if you’d like to see me doubly naked, tickets go on sale today.”
As one sixth of TV’s arguably most successful sitcom ever, it seems sure that this will be an offer London audiences will be dying to take up. Following his 10 year tenure as Chandler Bing, Perry’s career has continued to find huge success on screen, starring in current US hit The Odd Couple and receiving numerous award nominations for his roles in The Ron Clark Story and The West Wing.
The End Of Longing will begin its run at the Playhouse Theatre following Lord Of The Dance: Dangerous Games, which is set to end its West End run on 24 January. Further casting is still to be announced.