A FIRST look image has been released showing Steve Coogan as Dr Strangelove in a new West End production of the Stanley Kubrick classic.
Rehearsals are underway for the show which will open at the Noël Coward Theatre next month.
Seven time BAFTA award winner Coogan, whose parents are both of Irish descent - with his mother growing up in Mayo, will play multiple roles in the production, which has been adapted by BAFTA and Emmy Award winner Armando Iannucci and Olivier Award winner Sean Foley, who will also direct.
Steve Coogan as Dr Strangelove (Pic: Sebastian Nevols)Coogan stars as Dr Strangelove, President Merkin Muffley, Group Captain Lionel Mandrake and Major TJ Kong in the play.
Kubrick’s comedy masterpiece tells the tale of a rogue US General who triggers a nuclear crisis.
“The idea of putting Dr Strangelove on stage is daunting, a huge responsibility,” Coogan admits.
“It’s also an exciting challenge, an opportunity to bring this timeless classic to a new audience.”
The full cast has now been confirmed for the play, which will run until January 2025.
Among those joining Coogan and the already announced Giles Terera as General Buck Turgisdon are John Hopkins as General Jack D. Ripper, Oliver Alvin-Wilson as Jefferson and Penny Ashmore as Vera Lynn.
Sean Foley, Steve Coogan and Armando Iannucci (Pic: Manuel Harlan)“I couldn’t be more thrilled than to be working with such a talented and exciting cast on our version of Stanley Kubrick’s extraordinary ’nightmare comedy’,” director Foley said.
“I know from their amazing collective experience that every character and every situation will not only be seriously dark and terrifying, but also seriously funny.”
Dr Strangelove runs at the Noël Coward Theatre from October 8 until January 25, 2025 before heading to Dublin’s Bord Gáis Energy Theatre from February 5 – 22.
