First published: 07 May 2009

Stage and screen star Adrian Lester has been confirmed as the first British performer to join James Earl Jones and Phylicia Rashad in the transfer of Broadway hit Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, due to open in London in December.

Star of TV series Hustle, Lester is expected to play the role of Brick, which was taken by Terrence Howard in the all-black version of Tennessee Williams’s drama when it played in New York in spring 2008.

Well known for his television appearances, which also include Bonekickers and Ballet Shoes, Lester is a Laurence Olivier Award winner, picking up the statuette for his performance in Company. Other notable stage appearances came in Cheek By Jowl’s all-male As You Like It, Sweeney Todd and in the National Theatre production of Henry V, in which he took the title role.

Further casting for the show, which is directed by Debbie Allen, has not been announced, nor has the venue.

MA