Actors Head Back To Theatre

Thanks to the actors' and writers' strikes which are threatening Hollywood this summer, many actors have decided to take to the stage. And one play in particular is benefitting from movie stars returning to their theatrical roots. New York's Shakespeare in the Park theatre company has managed to assemble a stellar cast for its production of Chekhov's The Seagull, which debuts in July. The leads will be played by Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline, and the supporting cast includes Philip Seymour Hoffman, Natalie Portman, Christopher Walken and John Goodman. And it's not just New York that will see some famous faces treading the boards. Brendan Fraser will appear in London's West End in a revival of Tennessee Williams' Cat On A Hot Tin Roof alongside Frances O'Connor, who played his love interest in Bedazzled. And Fraser's The Mummy co-star Rachel Weisz will be appearing in Neil Labute's The Shape Of Things at the Almeida theatre's new King's Cross home. So it wouldn't be too surprising if a few more movie stars decide to get back to their roots - greasepaint and all.