London News
Gillian Anderson and Billy Crudup Will Star in West End Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Four-time Tony-winning director Marianne Elliott will direct the Edward Albee classic.
March 18, 2026 By Logan Culwell-Block
London's West End is getting a new revival of Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, with performances set to begin September 21 at @sohoplace. Opening will be September 30, with the limited run set to continue through December 19. Four-time Tony winner and two-time Olivier winner Marianne Elliott (Company, War Horse) will direct.
And Elliott has assembled a starry cast. Gillian Anderson (The X Files, The Crown) and Billy Crudup (The Coast of Utopia) will duke it out as Martha and George, respectively, with Josh Dylan as Nick and Phoebe Horn as Honey. Casting is by Jim Carnahan.
First staged in 1962, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? explores the emotionally complex marriage of a middle-aged couple. University professor George and wife Martha invite a younger couple back to their house after a faculty party, where the alcohol and secrets begin to pour out. The play won the 1963 Tony Award for Best Play, and got a film adaptation in 1966, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. The title has gone on to become one of the canon's most frequently produced, with three major revivals on Broadway alone. The upcoming revival will be London's first since a 2017 staging starring Imelda Staunton and Conleth Hill.
The revival will feature scenic and costume design by Miriam Buether, lighting design by James Farncombe, and sound design by Ian Dickinson.
"Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is a play of astonishing emotional precision—brutal, witty, and deeply human," says Elliott in a statement. "What excites me most is the opportunity to explore the volatility and tenderness at its core with two actors as fearless and intelligent as Gillian Anderson and Billy Crudup. Albee writes with such fervency about love, illusion, and survival, and I’m so excited to dive into that world with them and rediscover just how alive and bold this play is.”
“Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is one of the defining plays of the modern theatre—raw, ferociously funny, and devastating in equal measure," adds lead producer Sonia Friedman. "To bring it to life with actors of the caliber of Gillian Anderson and Billy Crudup, under the direction of the extraordinary Marianne Elliott, is a thrilling prospect. Staged in the round @sohoplace, this production will place audiences right inside George and Martha’s dangerous games, in a play that remains as shocking and truthful today as when Albee first wrote it.”
Sonia Friedman Productions is producing in association with Nica Burns.
Tickets are at Sohoplace.org.
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