Summer and Smoke, Starring Pike, Plays West End in Oct.

A new production of the Tennessee Williams classic Summer and Smoke, starring stage and screen star Rosamund Pike, will drift to the West End for a commercial transfer, according to Whatsonstage.com. After playing the Nottingham Playhouse from September 20th through October 7th, it will move to the Apollo Theatre for an October 18th opening; previews will begin on October 11th for a limited 16-week run.

The play is set in 1916 Mississippi. Pike will star as Alma Winemiller, a minister's daughter who "finds her youthful passions rekindled when the neighbour's hard-living prodigal son John Buchanan returns home and soon resumes his sinful ways." Co-starring as John will be Chris Carmack (Entertaining Mr. Sloane Off-Broadway, "The OC"), with support by Sebastian Abineri, Michael Brown, David Killick, Tom Lawrence, Kate O'Toole, Chris Ravenscroft, Hanne Steen and Hannah Stokely.

Adrian Noble will direct the play, which is by the legendary dramatist whose other works include The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire. The Apollo's current tenant--Fool for Love, starring Juliette Lewis--closes on September 9th.

Pike has previously been seen on the West End in Hitchcock Blonde and most recently, in Brian Friel's Performance at Wilton's Music Hall; she played Kamila Stosslova, the muse of Czech composer Leos Janacek. Film and TV credits include Pride & Prejudice, The Libertine, Die Another Day and "Love in a Cold Climate."

The show, which will be produced by Kim Poster for Stanhope Productions, will be designed by Peter McKintosh.  The creative team will also include Deirdre Clancy (costumes), Peter Mumford (lighting) and John Leonard (sound).

Summer and Smoke opened at the Music Box Theatre on October 6th, 1948 to play for 102 performances.  Geraldine Page, who created the role of Alma, would reprise her performance in the 1961 film version.  It was revived on Broadway in 1996, in a production starring Harry Hamlin and Mary McDonnell.

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