Diana Rigg joins Rupert Everett in Pygmalion at the Garrick Theatre

Dame Diana Rigg is to join Rupert Everett and Kara Tointon in the Chichester transfer of Pygmalion.

The Chichester Festival Theatre’s 2010 revival of Pygmalion, directed by Philip Prowse, is transferring to the Garrick Theatre this Spring (12 May to 3 September 2011).

Revisiting the part of Professor Henry Higgins will be stage and screen star Rupert Everett, joined by Strictly Come Dancing winner and former EastEnders actress Kara Tointon as Eliza Doolittle. George Bernard Shaw’s famous play was turned into the successful1956 musical My Fair Lady.

The play will also star Peter Eyre as Colonel Pickering, alongside Rigg as Mrs Higgins.

Diana Rigg’s credits include Hay Fever and The Cherry Orchard at Chichester, Honour, Suddenly Last Summer, Follies, All About My Mother, Mother Courage and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. She won a Tony award on Broadway for her performance in the Almeida production of Medea.

Book tickets to Pygmalion at the Garrick Theatre in London

Pygmalion tickets at the Garrick Theatre starring Alistair McGowan and Kara Tointon

Following a sell-out run in Chichester, George Bernard Shaw’s classic play Pygmalion comes to town, now starring Alistair McGowan as egocentric Professor Henry Higgins and Kara Tointon (EastEnders) as Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle. Also stars Diana Rigg.

Theatre pieces: Hunter Parrish, August:Osage County, Chichester

After Gareth Gates, do we have a new Joseph?

Gareth Gates seems to be doing a fine job in Joseph at the Adelphi Theatre – at least if comments on the westendtheatre blog are anything to go by. Whilst musing on Spring Awakening’s demise on Broadway, we turn our attention to Hunter Parrish – pot smoking star of TV’s Weeds – who recently played the lead role of Melchior on Broadway.

Well known for his love of all things theatrical, in a recent interview he said: “I want them to bring back Joseph [and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat]. If anyone has that idea, I’m your man!” Could he be prize casting post-Gareth – or in any future Andrew Lloyd Webber Broadway plans?

August the Movie?

Apparently a film version of August: Osage County, the play by Tracy Letts that wowed critics and audiences alike at the National Theatre recently, is on the cards. Written by Letts herself, the Weinstein Company is backing the adaptation and aiming for a 2011 release. There are some potential dream casting scenarios for this one.

Starry Chichester

There is much oo-ing and ahh-ing over this year’s Chichester Festival Theatre season, with lots of big name stars. Chief amongst them is Joseph Fiennes who is to headline Trevor Nunn‘s staging of Cyrano de Bergerac; also Rupert Goold directs Enron before it makes it’s way to the Royal Court; Oklahoma! gets a revival from Sweeney Todd stage director John Doyle, Iain Glen stars in a new adaptation of Friedrich Schiller play Wallenstein, and Diana Rigg stars as Judith Bliss in a revival of  Noel Coward’s Hay Fever.

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