Rupert Friend to make his West End stage debut in The Little Dog Laughed

Playbill.com reports that Rupert Friend will make his West End stage debut in the U.K. premiere of Douglas Carter Beane's 2006 play The Little Dog Laughed, which will begin performances at the Garrick Theatre Jan. 8, 2010, prior to an official opening Jan. 20, for a season that is booking through April 10, 2010.

Friend will star as Mitchell, a Hollywood film star actor whose sexuality becomes an issue when he falls for a male hustler. His powerhouse agent Diane will be played by Olivier Award-winning actress Tamsin Greig (which she won for her appearance as Beatrice in an RSC production of Much Ado About Nothing). The production will be directed by Jamie Lloyd and produced by Creative Management and Productions.

The play, which was originally produced at Off-Broadway's Second Stage Theatre in 2006 before transferring to Broadway's Cort Theatre, won Julie White the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play for creating the role of Diane.

Friend is best known for his appearances in such films as "The Libertine," "Pride and Prejudice," "Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont," "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" and Cheri; off screen, he also makes headlines for dating Keira Knightley, whom he met during the filming of "Pride and Prejudice."

Read full article here!