Peter Whelan's The School of Night to Play at London's Comedy Theatre

Peter Whelan's The School of Night will be the next tenant at London's Comedy Theatre. The show, starring Christopher Eccleston, is scheduled to begin performances there on February 16.

With its title taken from a phrase in William Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost, The School of the Night examines the 16th-century intellectual circle that counted Christopher Marlowe Eccleston, Thomas Kyd and Sir Walter Raleigh as members. The play investigates the mystery surrounding Marlowe's death in 1593 against the backdrop of a politically and religiously divided England. Was he really killed in a barroom brawl, as the history books say? Or do the rumors of espionage, atheism and homosexuality hint at something more complicated in his ultimate undoing?

The School of Night, directed by Bill Alexander, is set to officially open on February 27. It will feature set design by Simon Higlett and lighting design by Hugh Vanstone.

The Comedy's current tenant, Epitaph for George Dillon, is scheduled to end its limited engagement on January 14.