Gillian Anderson, acclaimed for her role in “Sex Education,” will make a highly anticipated return to the West End, starring opposite Billy Crudup of “The Morning Show” fame. The duo will lead a new production of Edward Albee’s seminal work, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”, scheduled for this autumn in London.
Directed by the multi-award-winning Marianne Elliott, the revival of the classic marital drama will be presented in-the-round at the intimate sohoplace theatre. Anderson will portray Martha, a character she has expressed a desire to play “for decades.” She will engage in a fierce psychological battle with Crudup’s character, George, her professor husband, during a drink-fueled evening with a younger married couple, a dynamic central to Albee’s 1962 play.
Reflecting on her character, Anderson shared, “Martha’s rage is inseparable from her longing, her disappointment and her need to be seen – all things still eminently relatable 60 years on.” The role of Martha holds significant theatrical history, having been originated on Broadway by Uta Hagen, famously brought to the screen by Elizabeth Taylor (alongside her husband Richard Burton), and revived in London in 1996 by Diana Rigg.
Anderson conveyed her enthusiasm for the project, stating, “I’ve wanted to play Martha for decades. I’m thrilled Billy Crudup is joining me in the ring as George.”