Ewan McGregor has signed on to tread the boards for the first time in 17 years with a remake of Henrik Ibsen’s 1892 play The Master Builder.
The new project was written by American playwright Lila Raicek and will be directed by Michael Grandage. The play will run on London’s West End between April and July 2025.
Speaking this morning with the BBC, McGregor said his 17-year absence from the stage is “the longest I haven’t been on stage, and in honesty, I’ve missed it.”
“The funny story is, I had literally just finished reading Ibsen’s The Master Builder for pleasure – an extraordinary read,” McGregor continued. “Michael got in touch out of the blue and I mentioned how much I’d love to get back on stage.”
The Master Builder follows Halvard Solness, an acclaimed architect of a small Norweigan town who begins to unravel over fears his young rival will overtake him. The play was adapted for the big screen in 2013 by Jonathan Demme.
The production will begin previews at the Wyndham’s Theatre in London on 17 April, and run until 12 July. Grandage and McGregor previously collaborated on Othello and Guys and Dolls at the Donmar Theatre where Grandage was the artistic director.
“Theatre teaches you so much about acting, the audience teaches you. What works, and what doesn’t. It’s very good for the soul,” McGregor added. “The live experience. The power of storytelling. “Also I love the routine of it, waking up in the morning with the day aiming towards this event, this electric experience.”
