Ciaran Hinds and Rory Kinnear to Star in National’s Burnt by the Sun

Ciaran Hinds and Rory Kinnear will star in Peter Flannery’s new stage adaptation of the 1994 Oscar-winning Russian film Burnt by the Sun, which will receive its world premiere at the National Theatre’s Lyttleton Theatre, starting on February 24.

The production will be directed by Howard Davies, designed by Vicki Mortimer, and feature lighting by Mark Henderson, music by Ilona Sekacz, choreography by Scarlett Mackmin, and sound by Christopher Shutt. Full casting will be announced at a later date.

Set on the eve of Stalin’s Great Terror, Burnt by the Sun centers on Colonel Kotov (Hinds), a decorated hero of the Russian Revolution, who’s spending an idyllic summer in the country with his beloved young wife and family. But one sunny morning in 1936, his wife’s former lover Mitia (Kinnear) returns from a long and unexplained absence. Amidst a tangle of sexual jealousy, retribution and remorseless political backstabbing, Kotov feels the full, horrifying reach of Stalin’s rule.

Hinds’ stage credits include Closer, The Seafarer, and Richard III. His film and television credits include Rome, In Bruges, Oscar and Lucinda, Road to Perdition, and There Will Be Blood. Kinnear won the Olivier and Ian Charleson Awards for The Man of Mode last year at the National, where his other credits include Philistines, Southwark Fair and The Revenger’s Tragedy.

For more information, visit www.whatsonstage.com.