A musical stage adaptation of Brokeback Mountain is coming to London’s West End, running from May 10 for 12 weeks (until August 12) at the @sohoplace theatre. BAFTA-nominated Mike Faist and Oscar-nominated Lucas Hedges are to take on the roles of Jack Twist and Ennis Del Mar, respectively.
Brokeback Mountain, originally a short story written by Annie Proulx in 1997, was first adapted back in 2005. The film – which follows a fraught romance between two gay cowboys in mid-20th century Wyoming – was directed by Ang Lee, and starred Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger in two Oscar-nominated performances.
Singer-songwriter Dan Gillespie Sells – from 00s indie group The Feeling – is providing the songs for the stage adaptation, with the script being written by writer Ashley Robinson. In a statement, Robinson said that the decision to include songs within the play helped to “give voice to the tumultuous inner landscape of our wannabe cowboys (both young men of few words), and provide the scope of our vast and brutal outer landscape, not to mention allowing Proulx’s poetic prose to literally sing”.
Also working on the project are director Jonathan Butterell and producers Nica Burns (Adam Blanshay Productions and Lambert Jackson Productions) and Katy Lipson (Aria Entertainment). Burns, Butterell and Sells had previously collaborated on the record-breaking West End production Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, which has gone on to tour theatres around the world. Songs written for the play will be performed on-stage by Scottish singer-songwriter Eddi Redder (playing the role of the Balladeer) alongside a full country and western band.
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