Rowan Atkinson, who is best known for his role as Mr Bean in the TV series and film series, is all set and ready to bring the story to the theatre. According to the latest reports shared online, the actor is joining the West End theatre.
Rowan Atkinson joins West End for new theatre show
The actor, who has played a lot of iconic and comic characters throughout his career, is all set to return to theatre with ‘Rowan Live.’ As reported by The Guardian, the show will feature around 30 performances by the beloved actor and will include some of his most iconic roles, including ‘Mr. Bean,’ ‘Not the Nine O’Clock News,’ and more.While talking about the show and the idea behind it all, Atkinson shared his thoughts, saying, “It is 40 years since I last did a comedy sketch show in the West End. I thought it would be fun to perform again the sketches that began it all for myself and [writer] Richard Curtis, and in which my most well-known characters originated, alongside some surprise new material written especially for this show.” Atkinson and Curtis will work on the production with ‘Blackadder’ writer Ben Elton and its composer Howard Goodall yet again. Not only that, but Atkinson, Curtis, and Goodall have been collaborating since they were all enrolled at Oxford University.Curtis shared more about working with the ‘Johnny English’ actor, revealing that it had been more than 50 years since he first witnessed Atkinson on stage. He mentioned, “It was instantly clear to all of us that we were watching a unique, once-in-a-lifetime talent. All that magic, that unique accuracy, and that comic genius are still there for all to see. It’s such a joy and honour for me to be part of a show that will include the very best of Rowan on stage—all his voices, shapes, faces, and characters. I hope it will make people very happy.”This is not the actor’s first theatre production. Some of his works include ‘Revue,’ ‘The New Revue,’ ‘The Nerd,’ ‘The Sneeze,’ ‘Oliver,’ and ‘Quartermaine’s Terms.’ On the work front, Rowan Atkinson’s latest feature film appearance was in the musical fantasy prequel ‘Wonka’ (2023), where he played Father Julius, starring alongside Timothee Chalamet as Willy Wonka.