‘Brokeback Mountain’ to be adapted for West End play

Brokeback Mountain is set to be adapted for a West End production.

The new play, based on the short story by Annie Proulx, will star Mike Faist (West Side Story) and Lucas Hedges (Manchester By The Sea, Lady Bird) as Jack Twist and Ennis Del Mar, respectively.

Written by Ashley Robinson and directed by Jonathan Butterell, the production will also feature original music from The Feeling vocalist Dan Gillespie Sells, performed by Scottish singer-songwriter and Fairground Attraction singer Eddi Reader.

The play will show at new West End venue @sohoplace from May 10, 2023 through to August 12. Tickets are available to book now.

Brokeback Mountain is set in 1963 and tells the story of two Wyoming cowboys who fall in love.

“Brokeback Mountain has been recreated in several different forms, each with its own distinctive moods and impact,” Proulx said in a statement. “Ashley’s script is fresh and deeply moving, opening sight lines not visible in the original nor successive treatments.”

Robinson added: “I’m honored to be entrusted by Annie Proulx to bring new life in new form to her timeless and universal story. A story that means so much to so many, and will surely mean as much to a whole new generation.”

Musician Sells said that the material and “complex story” is “inspiring to compose for”. He continued: “I’ve really enjoyed reconnecting with a genre of music I grew up with and using it to serve the drama of each moment. Plus I get to work with some legendary artists which is such an honour and a joy.”

Producer Nica Burns added: “In the intimate, intense auditorium that is @sohoplace, our production concentrates on the relationship between our two lead characters with Eddi Reader’s memorable voice adding to the heartbreak as the soundtrack of their lives. To have Mike Faist and Lucas Hedges, two outstanding young American actors playing Jack and Ennis is a real coup.”

Brokeback Mountain was previously adapted for Ang Lee’s 2005 starring Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, which went on the win three Oscars for Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Original Score, and was also nominated for Best Picture but lost out to Crash.