Daisy Edgar-Jones set for new London stage role

Normal People star Daisy Edgar-Jones is to appear in a new production of Cat On A Hot Tin Roof at London's Almeida theatre later this year.

The actress, who has also starred in Twisters and Where The Crawdads Sing, will appear in the show's eight-week run from 10 December.

She will appear opposite Lennie James, best known for Line of Duty and The Walking Dead, and Kingsley Ben-Adir, who was seen in Barbie and played Bob Marley in the biopic One Love.

Other productions announced by the Almeida on Friday will star Luther's Ruth Wilson and US actor Michael Shannon.

Cat On A Hot Tin Roof marks Edgar-Jones's first significant stage role since she shot to fame in 2020 with BBC drama Normal People.

However, she was one of a large number of actors who took part in the recent production of Red Rabbit White Rabbit, which saw a different star lead the show every night throughout its run at Soho Place.

Written by Tennessee Williams in 1955, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof tells the story of a family who have come together to celebrate the birthday of the patriarch, Big Daddy.

But behind the scenes, the family is in crisis. The Pulitzer-winning play explores themes of dishonesty, desire and the struggle for power and control.

Edgar-Jones previously appeared in Mike Bartlett's play Albion, which also ran at the Almeida theatre, in 2020, shortly before the Covid lockdown halted theatre productions.

The actress subsequently shot to fame during the pandemic when she appeared alongside Paul Mescal in Normal People, the TV adaptation of Sally Rooney's hugely popular novel.

Other productions announced for the Almeida's new season on Friday include A Moon for the Misbegotten. It will star Ruth Wilson, who has appeared in Luther and The Affair, and recently portrayed Emily Maitlis in A Very Royal Scandal.

She will co-star with US actor Michael Shannon, whose credits include Revolutionary Road, Groundhog Day, Pearl Harbour, Knives Out and Bullet Train.

The Almeida will also stage Otherland, a new play by Chris Bush about a couple trying to untangle themselves from each other as they go through a break-up.

Other productions announced include 1536, set in Tudor England, and Rhinoceros, about a new disease which threatens humanity.