Chris Pine appears on the London stage for the first time as Nikolai Ivanov in new production Anton Chekhovclassic play at the Bridge Theatre.
The London theater company has announced that the Star Trek and Wonder Woman actor will play the title role. Simon StoneNew adaptation of Ivanov in collaboration with Wouter van Ransbeek. The project marks Stone's return to the Bridge Theatre, where his production of The Lady from the Sea, starring Alicia Vikander and Andrew Lincoln, is currently running.
Stone, an acclaimed Australian theater and film director known for his radical reimaginings of classic works, will write and direct.
The play centers on Nikolai, a man who struggles with the ailments of middle age despite a successful career and marriage. As debts mount and his wife faces unexplained illnesses, he struggles to understand what's eating him and whether he can save his marriage, career and will to live.
Stone reunites with her Lady from the Sea creative team, including production designer Lizzie Clachan, costume designer Mel Page, composer and sound designer Stefan Gregory, lighting designer Nick Schlieper and casting director Jessica Ronayne.
“Chekhov is a master of finding humor in our suffering and the crisis beneath our joy,” Stone said. “A fluid wizard of character drama, he elevates the seemingly banal to the sublime, and then pops the balloon when it gets too poetic.”
Stone praised Pine's range and suitability for the demanding role. “After long admiring Chris from afar, I was delighted to discover that he is not only a longtime playwright, but also uniquely sensitive and brilliantly intelligent,” Stone said. “I saw in his work how funny he could be, but at the same time how touching: Chekhov is impossible to imagine without both. Ivanov is the most complicated of his male characters, a challenge and a gift.”
Pine, whose film credits include Hell or High Water along with his blockbuster work, has US stage credits including The Atheist, Fat Pig, Farragut North and The Lieutenant of Inishmore.
“I am thrilled to be collaborating with Simon on his new production of Chekhov’s Ivanov,” said Pine. “It’s been over ten years since I’ve been on stage and to be able to return to the stage in London at the beautiful Bridge Theater is a thrill.”
Previews for Ivanov will begin on July 4, 2026 and will run until September 19.
