West End Premiere of THE LITTLE DOG LAUGHED Opens Tonight at the Garrick Theatre, 1/20

The West End premiere of Douglas Carter Beane's THE LITTLE DOG LAUGHED opens tonight, January 20, at London's Garrick Theatre. The cast features film star Rupert Friend alongside Tamsin Greig, Olivier Award winner for her performance in Much Ado About Nothing with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and is directed by Jamie Lloyd. The cast also features British actors Gemma Arterton and Harry Lloyd. The play began previews January 9th.

In THE LITTLE DOG LAUGHED, rising film star Mitchell Green is every girl's fantasy and soon to become a household name, thanks to his devilish agent Diane, who excels at navigating the choppy waters of Hollywood. With Mitchell on the brink of superstardom, Diane encounters one teensy weensy obstacle - she can't seem to stop her leading man from coming out of the closet. With Mitchell spending days and nights with his new 'friend' Alex, and Alex's beautiful girlfriend Ellen (yes girlfriend!) causing a drama of her own, what lengths will Mitchell go to play the part? And will there be a Hollywood ending when the credits role?

Douglas Carter Beane's Tony award-nominated comedy, satirizes the superficial world of show-business and the game-playing of the movie industry.

Gemma Alterton made her stage debut as Rosaline in Shakespeare's LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST at The Globe Theatre, London in July 2007. This will be her West End debut. She played the title role in a BBC adaptation of "Tess of the D'Urbervilles." Her film credits include "Kelly in St Trinian's" and MI6 Agent Strawberry Fields in the James Bond film, "Quantum of Solace." She is also attached to star in the upcoming "Wuthering Heights."

This production will mark Rupert Friend's stage debut. He made his debut in the film "The Libertine." In 2008 he and Tom Mison filmed the short "The Continuing" and "Lamentable Saga of the Suicide Brothers" which they wrote and in which they play the title characters and will play at the London Film Festival. He stars in the forthcoming films "The Kid," and "Lullaby for Pi."

During 2006 and early 2007 Greig played Beatrice in a much acclaimed production of Much Ado About Nothing for which she won a Laurence Olivier Award and Constance in King John, as part of the Royal Shakespeare Company's The Complete Works season. Whilst the win itself was a surprise, her acceptance speech was received very well as being highly entertaining, claiming that she was so excited that she had wet her dress. To make it worse, the dress was hired. The speech was apparently completely improvised - Greig hadn't prepared anything. Backstage, when told not to tell her mother about her wetting her dress, she told the host that her mum was dead before dedicating her award to her 'dead mum'. She also won the Critics' Circle Theatre Award for "Best Shakespearean Performance" in Much Ado About Nothing, becoming the first woman to win the award, and was nominated for "The FRANCO'S Best Actress in a Play" in the Whatsonstage Theatregoers' Choice Awards. At the Gielgud Theatre in March 2008 she co-starred with Ralph Fiennes, Janet McTeer and Ken Stott in the UK premiere of Yasmina Reza's The God of Carnage (Le Dieu du carnage) translated by Christopher Hampton and directed by Matthew Warchus. The play won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy in 2009. In 2008 she co-starred in the surreal sci-fi film Captain Eager and the Mark of Voth. In November 2008 she made her National Theatre debut in Gethsemane, a new play by David Hare which toured the UK.

Performances for THE LITTLE DOG LAUGHED run through April 10th and tickets range in price from £15.00 to £44.50. Tickets may be purchased online through tickets.nimaxtheatres.com or by calling 0844 579 1974.

For more information, visit www.nimaxtheatres.com.