Booking Opens On 5th November for Ian Rickson’s Production of Lillian Hellman’s The Children’s Hour Starring Keira Knightly and Elisabeth Moss
Published on 5 November 2010
**On 5th November, tickets go on sale for Ian Rickson’s production of ****Lillian Hellman**’s ***The Children’s Hour ***starring the previously announced **Keira Knightley** and **Elisabeth Moss***.** The Children’s Hour*** will have its first preview at the Comedy Theatre on 22 January 2011 with press night on 9 February and is booking until 2 April 2011. Further casting will be announced shortly.
***The Children’s Hour*** will be produced by Sonia Friedman Productions & Scott Landis.
**Keira Knightley** was last on stage in *The Misanthrope* directed by Thea Sharrock at the Comedy Theatre in 2009. Her many film credits include *Never Let Me Go **which opened the 2010 London Film Festival, **Bend It Like Beckham*, *Love Actually,* *Pirates of the Caribbean*trilogy, *King Arthur*, *The Jacket*,* Pride and Prejudice, Domino*,* Silk, **A*tonement**, *The Edge of Love*, *The Duchess*,* Last Night* and the forthcoming *London Boulevard* and *A Dangerous Method*. Her television credits include the critically-acclaimed remake of* Doctor Zhivago*,* Oliver* and* Coming Home*.
**Elisabeth Moss**, who will make her West End debut in ***The Children’s Hour***, is best known for playing the role of Peggy Olson in the ongoing award-winning television series *Mad Men*, for which she has received both Emmy Award and SAG Award nominations, as well as for the role of Zoe Bartlett in *The West Wing*. Moss made her Broadway stage debut in David Mamet’s *Speed- the-Plow* in 2008. Her film credits include *Get Him to the Greek, Did you Hear About the Morgans?* and *Girl, Interrupted*, as well as the forthcoming *On the Road* and *Darling Companion.*
**Ian Rickson** most recently directed the critically-acclaimed production of Jez Butterworth’s *Jerusalem* starring Mark Rylance. He has also directed Butterworth’s *The Winterling*, *The Night Heron*, *Mojo* and *Parlour Song*. Rickson was Artistic Director of the Royal Court from 1998 to 2006 where his many productions included *Krapp’s Last Tape, * which he also directed for BBC4, *Fallout, *which he also directed as a film for Channel 4, *The Weir* and *Mojo,* both of which transferred to the West End and Broadway, and the award-winning production o*f The Seagull, *which was transferred to Broadway by Sonia Friedman Productions.* *For the National Theatre he has directed *The Hothouse* and*The Day I Stood Still. *Rickson’s production of Ibsen’s *Hedda Gabler, *starring Mary Louise Parker, opened on Broadway in 2009.
**Lillian Hellman**’s ***The Children’s Hour*** was first staged on Broadway in 1934 where the play ran for over 2 years. The London premiere took place at the Gate Theatre in 1936. In 1994 Howard Davies directed a production for the National Theatre with a cast including Clare Higgins, Harriet Walter and Emily Watson. Hellman’s play was released as a film in 1961 under the title *The Loudest Whisper* starring Audrey Hepburn, Shirley MacLaine and James Garner, directed by William Wyler. Playwright Lillian Hellman (1905-1984) also wrote* The Little Foxes, Another Part of the Forest, Watch on the Rhine, Toys in the Attic* and the book to *Candide*.
**Listings Information**** THE CHILDREN’S HOUR **
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Dates: 22 January – 2 April 2011
Press Night: Press night 9 February at 7.00pm
Address: Comedy Theatre, Panton Street, London SW1Y 4DN
Performances: Monday – Saturday at 7.30pm
Wednesday and Saturdays at 2.30pm
No matinee on Wednesday 9 February at 2.30pm
Replacement matinee on Tuesday 8 February at 2.30pm
Website: [http://www.londontheatredirect.com/play/875/The-Children-s-Hour-tickets.aspx](https://www.londontheatredirect.com/play/875/The-Children-s-Hour-tickets.aspx)
Telephone Bookings: 0845 505 8500
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