STAR of stage and screen Rupert Everett is set to play the title role in one of Anton Chekhov’s great theatrical masterpieces, Uncle Vanya, at Bath's Theatre Royal.

He leads a stellar cast as he directs a brand new version of Chekhov’s classic by Oscar-nominated playwright and screenwriter David Hare.

This brand new production adapted by the Academy Award nominee for The Hours, The Reader, Damage and The White Crow opens at the Theatre Royal as part of the 2019 Summer Season.

The cast also features Katherine Parkinson (Home, I’m Darling, The IT Crowd, Doc Martin), Ann Mitchell (EastEnders, Call the Midwife, Year of the Rabbit), Clémence Poésy (Birdsong, The Tunnel and Harry Potter films) and John Standing (V for Vendetta, Game of Thrones, Paddington Bear, The First Churchills).

Chekhov is recognised as one of three seminal figures in the birth of early modernism in theatre, alongside Henrik Ibsen and August Strindberg. With sparkling humour and unflinching humanity, he spins a playful story of unrequited love, loss and misplaced dreams.

It is late summer, at the close of the 19h century. In the heart of the Russian countryside, Vanya and his niece Sonya have worked for years to manage the ramshackle estate on behalf of his brother-in-law, a retired professor.

When the professor arrives with his stunningly beautiful young wife and announces his plan to sell the estate, all their lives are thrown into turmoil.

This new version of Uncle Vanya has been especially commissioned by Theatre Royal Bath from David Hare, whose award-winning plays include Racing Demon, Plenty, Skylight and The Judas Kiss.

Uncle Vanya is directed by Rupert Everett with design by Charles Quiggan, costumes by Fotini Dimou, lighting by Rick Fisher and sound by John Leonard.

The play is on at the Theatre Royal Bath Main House to Saturday, August 3. Tickets are on sale at the TRB box office on 01225 448844 and online at www.theatreroyal.org.uk