The voice of stage and screen star Ian McKellen will be featured in the West End premiere of The Exorcist. McKellen will supply the voice of the Demon in Bill Kenwright's production, which begins performances October 20 at the Phoenix Theatre.
Sean Mathias will direct John Pielmeier’s play, adapted from the novel by William Peter Blatty. The London run is presented by special arrangement with Ben Sprecher and Stuart Snyder in association with Birmingham Repertory Theatre. It is currently booking through March 10, 2018.
For the Royal Shakespeare Company McKellen has played Romeo, Macbeth, Iago, and King Lear, and at the National Theatre he has appeared in productions of Coriolanus, Richard III, Uncle Vanya, and The Seagull. He earned his first Oscar nomination for Gods and Monsters and his second as Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. He is currently starring in King Lear in Chichester and was last seen onstage in London with Patrick Stewart in No Man’s Land.
Read: THE EXORCIST SETS WEST END DATES AHEAD OF BROADWAY ARRIVAL
Adam Garcia will play Father Damien Karras opposite Jenny Seagrove as Chris MacNeil, Peter Bowles as Father Lankester Merrin, Clare Louise Connolly as Regan, Todd Boyce as Doctor Strong, Mitchell Mullen as Doctor Klein, Elliot Harper as Father Joe, and Tristram Wymark as Burke.
One of the most acclaimed horror films, The Exorcist was released in cinemas in 1973. William Friedkin’s film went on to win two Academy Awards and become one of the top ten highest-grossing motion pictures of all time.
The upcoming production will be designed by Anna Fleischle, with lighting design by Philip Gladwell, composition and sound design by Adam Cork, projection design by Jon Driscoll and Gemma Carrington, and illusion design by Ben Hart.
A warning for The Exorcist reads, “The production contains material which may shock and offend. Recommended age guidance 18+.”
For tickets, visit ATGTickets.com or call 0844 871 7629.
Listen to McKellen's voice in the trailer below:
