Une nouvelle production de 'Private Lives'

Kim Cattrall’s on the hunt for a man. OK, this is not something new. But this man should be an actor of some standing and he will be required to perform opposite her in Noel Coward’s classic comedy of manners Private Lives.

The production will kick off at the Theatre Royal, Bath around February 22 for a week’s run and then, hopefully, move into the West End. Richard Eyre will direct and Danny Moar, who runs the theatre, will produce with Duncan Weldon and Sonia Friedman.

The show came about after Eyre had to abandon his version of Ibsen’s Ghosts, which was to have starred Ms Cattrall.

As I revealed last week, Iain Glen and Lesley Sharp are starring in a version of Ghosts that goes into the Duchess Theatre early in the New Year.

Eyre and Cattrall chatted in New York, where she is playing maneating Samantha in the Sex And The City 2 film, and discussed several options, including Private Lives.

The West End and UK touring rights are, for now, controlled by Mr Weldon, and he jumped at the chance of having a star of Ms Cattrall’s calibre play the leading lady role.

Private Lives is about a divorced couple who, by chance, find themselves booked into adjoining suites of the same hotel in Deauville when each is on a honeymoon with their new spouse.

Amanda Prynne and Elyot Chase, the two lead characters, have been previously played by the likes of Maggie Smith, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Lindsay Duncan and Alan Rickman.

‘Kim’s a terrific comedienne and terrifically attractive,’ Mr Moar observed. ‘All we need now is to find someone to play Elyot, who would be a match for Kim.’

Rehearsals are due to begin in early January.