The short story Brokeback Mountain will receive a new stage adaptation in London’s West End starring Mike Faist and Lucas Hedges! Previously adapted into the Oscar-winning film of the same name, Brokeback Mountain follows secret lovers Jack and Ennis over a period of many years as both wrestle with their feelings and who they are to each other. Faist will take on the role of Jack (played by Jake Gyllenhaal in the film), while Hedges will play Ennis (Heath Ledger in the original). The film has become a classic since its release in 2005, with many crediting it with breaking major barriers for LGBTQ representation in mainstream films.
Faist earned a BAFTA nomination for his breakout film role as Riff in West Side Story after previously having been nominated for a Tony Award for Dear Evan Hansen. His latest film Challengers, which also stars Zendaya and Josh O’Connor, will release in September 2023. Hedges earned an Oscar nomination for Manchester By The Sea and a Golden Globe nomination for Boy Erased. He also appeared on Broadway in Yen and The Waverly Gallery. Both actors are making their West End debuts.
The stage production is described as a “play with songs” rather than a musical, with Eddi Reader acting as a singing narrator throughout the play. @sohoplace released a new synopsis for the play.
“Wyoming 1963: a wild landscape where people live in extreme rural poverty in tight, insular, and conservative communities. When Ennis and Jack take jobs on the isolated Brokeback Mountain, all their certainties of life change forever as they flounder in unexpected emotional waters of increasing depth. Dan Gillespie Sells’ beautiful Country and Western songs weave heartbreakingly through this intense tale of an irresistible and hidden love spanning twenty years and its tragic consequences.”
Brokeback Mountain will reunite several of the creative team members behind the smash hit West End musical (and later film) Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, with Ashley Robinson (book), Dan Gillespie Sells (songs), and Jonathan Butterell (director) set to return. It will play a limited run between May 10 and August 12 at @sohoplace.
