The world premiere run of Nick Payne's Elegy begins performances at London's Donmar Warehouse April 21 prior to an official opening April 27, for a run through June 18.
The theatre's artistic director Josie Rourke directs a cast that comprises Zoë Wanamaker, Barbara Flynn and Nina Sosanya, each of whom has previously appeared at the Donmar.
The play imagines a very near future in which radical and unprecedented advances in medical science mean that it's now possible to extend life indefinitely. It tells the story of three women who've made the choice between love and survival, and explores a world in which the brain is no longer a mystery to us. But at what cost?
Wanamaker previously appeared at the Donmar in The Glass Menagerie (subsequently transferring to the West End), Electra (which transferred to the West End and Broadway, winning her an Olivier Award in London and a Tony nomination on Broadway) and David Mamet's Boston Marriage. Recent London stage credits include Harlequinade and the one-woman monologue All on Her Own (presented in a double bill as part of the Branagh Theatre Company season at the Garrick) and Stevie (transferred from Chichester to Hampstead Theatre). She has appeared extensively at the National, including productions of The Cherry Orchard, Much Ado About Nothing and The Rose Tattoo. On Broadway she also received Tony nominations for Piaf, Loot and Awake and Sing!. She is well known on British TV for My Family opposite Robert Lindsay, and on film her appearances include Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, My Week with Marilyn and Wilde.
Flynn has previously appeared at the Donmar in Versailles and The Bullet She has appeared at the National in The Revenger's Tragedy and King Lear. TV appearances include the title role in Pat & Cabbage, The Borgias, Cranford and New Tricks.
Sosanya has previously appeared at the Donmar in The Vote, Privacy and The Vortex. Other theatre credits include the Young Chekhov season at Chichester, Love's Labour's Lost and As You Like It (both RSC), and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Novello). TV appearances include W1A and Last Tango in Halifax.
Playwright Nick Payne is currently Writer in Residence at the Donmar,where his play The Same Deep Water as Me premiered and was nominated for the 2013 Olivier Award for Best New Comedy. His play "Constellations" won the Evening Standard Award for Best New Play and was subsequently seen on Broadway with Jake Gyllenhaal, who also appeared in the Off-Broadway premiere of If There Is I Haven't Found it Yet.
The production is designed by Tom Scutt, with lighting by Paule Constable and sound design by Ian Dickinson for Autograph. The production is supported by a Wellcome Trust Arts Award.
To book tickets, contact the box office on 0844 871 7624, or visit Donmarwarehouse.com
