David Harewood and Zachary Quinto Star in Best of Enemies, Opening November 28 in the West End

Zachary Quinto (The Boys in the Band, American Horror Story, Star Trek) makes his West End debut in James Graham’s Best of Enemies, which officially opens November 28 following previews that began November 14 at the Noël Coward Theatre.

Quinto plays Gore Vidal opposite David Harewood (Homeland, Super Girl, Ten Percent), who reprises the role of William F. Buckley Jr. that he played at the Young Vic in December 2021.

Directed by Jeremy Herrin (People, Places & Things, Wolf Hall Trilogy, This House), the cast of the West End transfer also includes Deborah Alli, Emilio Doorgasingh, Clare Foster, Tom Godwin, John Hodgkinson, Syrus Lowe, Kevin McMonagle, and Sam Otto with David Boyle, Lincoln Conway, Vivienne Ekwulugo, Jamie Hogarth, and Saaj Raja.

The play is set in 1968 America as two men fight to become the next President, but eyes are on the battle between two others: the cunningly conservative William F. Buckley Jr. and the iconoclastic liberal Gore Vidal.

Harewood said in an earlier statement, “I consider Best of Enemies to be one of the most enjoyable and challenging experiences of my whole career, and I cannot wait to once again get under the skin of this uniquely complex character. Jeremy’s brilliant direction and James’ wonderful script combine to give both actor and audience a stimulating, thought-provoking and wildly entertaining evening out, and I’m counting down the days to performing this show again in the West End.”

Quinto added, “Living and working in London has long been an aspiration of mine. But to be making my West End debut in such a thrilling and relevant play—amongst such a distinguished creative team—and playing such a scorching and complex character as Gore Vidal—far exceeds my expectations of what living and working in London would look like… I’m full of gratitude and excitement. Best of Enemies harkens back to a vital time—when genuine discourse was possible from even the most opposite ends of the ideological spectrum. My hope is that such discourse may be once again rekindled in response to the work itself.”

The production also has designs by Bunny Christie with lighting design by Jack Knowles, sound design by Tom Gibbons, video design by Max Spielbichler, composition by Benjamin Kwasi Burrell, movement direction by Shelley Maxwell, casting by Charlotte Sutton and Jim Carnahan, voice and dialect coaching by Hazel Holder, and associate direction by Annie Kershaw.

Best of Enemies won the South Bank Sky Arts Award for Best New Theatre Production and the Critics Circle Theatre Award for Best New Play and was also nominated for two Olivier Awards.

This production is brought to the West End by Second Half Productions, Eleanor Lloyd Productions, Wessex Grove, the Young Vic Theatre, and Headlong with executive producers Wagner Johnson Productions.

Visit BestofEnemiesPlay.com.