Legendary actor Steve Coogan is coming to the Bord Gais Energy Theatre in Dublin with a stage version of DR. STRANGELOVE, Stanley Kubrick’s iconic film. Seven-time BAFTA Award winner Steve Coogan will lead the first ever adaptation of the film-maker’s work. Coogan will play multiple roles in Kubrick’s timeless production set to begin performances at the theatre from Wednesday 05 February to Saturday 22 February 2025 for a limited run.
This jet-black comedy masterpiece, about a rogue U.S. General who triggers a nuclear crisis, is brought to the stage by acclaimed, BAFTA and Emmy Award winner Armando Iannucci and Olivier Award winner Sean Foley (who previously made the hilarious Mindhorn) in an explosively funny satire of mutually assured destruction.
“The idea of putting Dr. Strangelove on stage is daunting. A huge responsibility”. said lead actor Steve Coogan. “It’s also an exciting challenge, an opportunity to bring this timeless classic to a new audience. Knowing that I will be part of a creative team led by Sean Foley and Armando Iannucci means I will be working with the best people. Sean is a master of stage comedy and Armando and I started working with each other over 30 years ago. We made some memorable comedy together so it’s great to be collaborating with him once again. And we are thrilled to have the opportunity to take our version of this unique story to Dublin – where it will have its Irish Premiere at Dublin’s beautiful Bord Gáis Energy Theatre.”
Fans of the film will be encouraged to hear that it has the backing of Kubrick’s estate, Christiane Kubrick, Stanley’s widow, said: “We have always been reluctant to let anyone adapt any of Stanley’s work, and we never have. It was so important to him that it wasn’t changed from how he finished it. But we could not resist authorising this project: the time is right; the people doing it are fantastic; and Strangelove should be brought to a new and younger audience. I am sure Stanley would have approved it too.” while Stanley’s long-time producer Jan Harlan, added “Dr. Strangelove was initially conceived as a serious film based on the novel “Red Alert” by Peter George. During the adaptation Stanley ran into a wall: It was impossible to make a successful film about the end of mankind since nobody, himself included, would want to see it. The answer was satire. Laughing is one of our go-to responses when faced with an inescapable reality. As the film charts our short path to total self-destruction, we must make fun of it and ‘all will be well’.”
Tickets priced from €21.50 will go on sale at 09.00 am on Friday 08 March 2024 through Ticketmaster.