There are certain actors we would happily watch read the instructions on the back of a shampoo bottle and Andrew Scott is one of them. Fortunately, his next project has considerably more substance. Scott is returning to the stage to reprise his role in Sea Wall, the intimate one-man play written specifically for him by Tony-winning playwright Simon Stephens. Better yet, this time, the production is headed for the screen too.
Here's what you need to know...
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When is Andrew Scott returning to Sea Wall?
The new production will have a very limited 19-performance run at Studio Seaview in New York, from 16–30 October this year. Peabody Award winner Tina Satter will be directing both the stage production and its subsequent film.
It’s not Scott’s first reunion with the material either: he previously returned to Sea Wall for a 2018 revival at London’s Old Vic.
What is Sea Wall about?
With only a 50-minute runtime, it's deceptively short play. Scott plays Alex, a photographer talking about his life with his wife and young daughter – and the event that suddenly upends it. The concept is essentially: one man, one stage and a monologue, which, in less capable hands, might sound like hard work.
The play has an equally unusual origin story. Stephens wrote it for Scott in 2008 after London’s Bush Theatre commissioned a work that could be performed in natural daylight because its lighting had been damaged in a flood.
How will the film adaptation work?
As opposed to simply pointing a camera at the stage for a live filming (à la many famed National Theatre stage-to-screen productions like Fleabag or Josh O’Connor's current run of Golden Boy at London’s Almeida Theatre), the feature will capture the entire ecosystem of the production: Scott performing, yes, but also what happens backstage, in the theatre and among the audience for this much more holistic view of the production and its behind-the-scenes counterparts.
The film will also be captured throughout 19 performances of the run.
So, not quite a conventional play film exactly. And, perhaps most importantly, almost an hour of Andrew Scott holding our undivided attention. We’ve survived worse.
Where can I watch the film adaptation?
The information has yet to be announced on exactly when and where we can watch this filmed adaptation of the play. Likely, there might be a small cinematic run internationally through select cinemas (again, similar to National Theatre stage-to-screen productions). The previous short of the play that Scott starred in was also on YouTube for a time. Perhaps we might be able to find this one there too, with any luck.
