By John Nathan
22 Sep 2006

Bent star Alan Cumming
photo by Aubrey Reuben

Alan Cumming returns to the West End with the first preview of Martin Sherman's Bent Sept. 22. Daniel Kramer's (Hair, Through the Leaves) production officially opens at Trafalgar Studios Oct. 5.

Sherman's bitter account of the barbarous extremes of homophobia was first seen in 1979 at the Royal Court with Ian McKellen as Max, a role to which he returned in the 1990 National Theatre revival. Richard Gere played the role in the 1980 Broadway version.

Cumming, who won a 1998 Tony for his portrayal of the Emcee in Sam Mendes' Donmar revival of Cabaret, takes on the lead role of Max, a gay man who finds love, self-respect and death in the Nazi concentration camp in Dachau.

Cumming was recently seen on Broadway as Macheath in the Roundabout Theatre Company revival of The Threepenny Opera. Other stage credits include Elle and Design for Living. In 1991 he won an Olivier for his performance in Accidental Death of an Anarchist.

Martin Sherman is the author of many plays, screenplays and adaptations including Rose, which premiered at the National Theatre in 1999 starring Olympia Dukakis and transferred to Broadway the following year; A Madhouse in Goa and When She Danced, both starring Vanessa Redgrave; adaptations of E.M. Forster’s A Passage to India for Shared Experience and Pirandello’s Absolutely! (perhaps) directed by Franco Zeffirelli at the Wyndham’s Theatre.

For more information on Bent, which is booking until Jan. 13, 2007, call (0)870 060 6632.