Oscar-winning actress Estelle Parsons will make her West End stage debut in forthcoming thriller Deathtrap. Parsons, who is joined in the cast by Claire Skinner, will replace Anna Massey who has withdrawn from the production.
Deathtrap tells the story of a struggling playwright whose former student asks for help with a new thriller he is writing. The student pays a trip to his mentor’s secluded home creating a series of eventful twists and turns.
Skinner and Parsons join previously announced cast members Simon Russell Beale and Jonathan Groff in director Matthew Warchus’s production.
Set to play local psychic Helga ten Dorp, Parsons won an Oscar for her role as Blanche in the legendary 1967 film Bonnie And Clyde. As well as roles in numerous other films including Rachel, Rachel, Watermelon Man and Dick Tracy, the actress has enjoyed a successful stage career. A Tony Award-winning actress, Parsons was most recently seen in the Broadway and North American tour of August: Osage County. Her other Broadway credits include Morning’s At Seven and Miss Margarida’s Way. Parsons also found TV fame playing the mother in the popular American series Roseanne.
Skinner is a well-known face on the London stage. Regularly seen at the National Theatre, her credits at the venue include Mrs Affleck, The Winter’s Tale and Othello. Skinner is most popularly known for her work on screen and is currently starring in the hit BBC series Outnumbered. Other television credits include Trinity, Lark Rise To Candleford, The Trial Of Tony Blair and Murphy’s Law. She has also appeared in films including Bridget Jones’s Diary and Sleepy Hollow.
American actor Terry Beaver completes the cast. His Broadway credits include Inherit The Wind, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, Henry IV and The Last Night Of Ballyhoo for which he was nominated for a Tony Award.
CM