Brie Larson ‘excited’ for West End debut in Greek tragedy Elektra

Brie Larson, the Oscar-winning actress best known for starring in Room and Lessons in Chemistry, is to make her UK stage debut next year in a Greek tragedy.

The 34-year-old will star in Elektra, an adaptation of Sophocles’ play which has been translated by poet Anne Carson.

Larson described the drama as a “timeless story” and said she “couldn’t be more excited” to be joining the production, directed by Daniel Fish.

The show will launch in Brighton in January. It will play there for a week before transferring to the West End for the remainder of its three-month run.

Larson told BBC News: “I couldn’t be more excited to perform in this Greek drama, or in better company collaborating with Daniel Fish and Anne Carson.

“Storytelling has always been the way I organise life, feelings and experiences. I look forward to sharing space with the wonderful West End audience while we explore this timeless story.”

The play follows a young woman, named Elektra, who is consumed by grief following her father’s assassination.

She teams up with her long lost brother Orestes in an attempt to seek vengeance.

Larson won the best actress prize at the Oscars, SAG Awards, Baftas and Golden Globes in 2016 for her performance in the film Room.

She has also starred in Captain Marvel, Kong: Skull Island and the Apple TV+ series Lessons In Chemistry, based on the book by Bonnie Garmus.

However, the actress has not appeared on stage since 2010, when she played Emily in a production of Our Town at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts, USA.

Elektra will begin performances at Theatre Royal Brighton from Monday 13 to Saturday 18 January 2025.

The show will then move to the Duke of York’s Theatre in London for an 11-week run from Friday 24 January.

It will be produced by Empire Street Productions, the team behind recent West End productions of Prima Facie, Slave Play and The Pillowman.

Director Fish’s production of Oklahoma! won both the Tony and Olivier Award for best musical revival following runs on Broadway and in the West End respectively.

Fish told BBC News it was a “thrilling challenge to work on Sophocles’ tragedy”, adding that Carson’s translation “explodes the question of what is ancient and what is contemporary”.