Directed by the theatre’s artistic director Michael Grandage, The Cut officially opens on Feb. 28. The play centers on Paul (McKellen) who, according to production notes, is a loving husband harboring a shocking secret.
McKellen is joined by Deborah Findlay, who appeared in the National Theatre production of Ravenhill’s Mother Clap’s Molly House and was last seen at the Donmar in The Vortex, Grandage’s inaugural production for the theatre as artistic director.
Ravenhill burst onto the theatrical scene with his first play Shopping and Fucking, which was produced by Out of Joint and the Royal Court before transferring to the West End in 1997 and opening in New York in 1998.
McKellen’s many theatre credits include Dance of Death, which played New York, London and Sydney, and National Theatre productions of Enemy of the People, Richard III and Bent. His films include “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, “The Da Vinci Code” and the “X Men” series.
Grandage’s production of Guys and Dolls is currently playing at the West End’s Piccadilly Theatre. The director will also helm the revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s musical Evita, which opens at the Adelphi Theatre in June.