Diana Rigg Set for London Stage Version of All About My Mother

Diana Rigg and Lesley Manville will star in the world premiere of the stage version of All About My Mother at London's Old Vic Theatre. They lead a cast that also includes Joanne Froggatt, Colin Morgan and Charlotte Randle in Samuel Adamson's new play based on Pedro Almodóvar's Oscar-winning film. Tom Cairns will direct the piece, which will begin performance on August 25 and open on September 4. The show is set to run through November 24.

Following the tragic death of her beloved teenage son Morgan, Manuela Manville goes to Barcelona in search of the father he never knew. But before she can exorcise her guilt, she gets caught up in the lives of three women: Agrado, a long-lost transvestite friend, Sister Rosa Froggatt, a young nun in search of love, and Huma Rojo Rigg, the famous actress her son so admired. Just as Manuela's life begins to have meaning again, her son's father returns and her journey of discovery and forgiveness comes full circle.

"The Old Vic celebrates exceptional acting talent, and all five of these actors bring unique qualities that we believe will bring this amazing story to life for our audience," artistic director Kevin Spacey said in a statement. "I've always been a huge admirer of Lesley Manville's work and her remarkable ability to access truth and humanity in the roles she plays. Her extensive experience of working on new writing with Mike Leigh, at the Royal Court and elsewhere, makes her a wonderful asset to this production. And I couldn't be more pleased that Diana Rigg, one of the U.K.'s best-loved actresses, will be playing the role of Huma. Diana's played an extraordinary range of roles in a distinguished career and I can't wait to see her on the Old Vic stage."

Rigg came to international prominence in the 1960s as Emma Peel in the TV series The Avengers and as Tracy Bond in On Her Majesty's Secret Service. In the early 1970s, she was part of Laurence Olivier's National Theatre Company at the Old Vic, appearing in The Misanthrope, Macbeth and Jumpers among others. In the 1990s, Rigg had a series of triumphs, beginning at the Almeida with the title role in Medea, which won her the Evening Standard Best Actress Award and a Tony Award for Best Actress during the show's transfer to Broadway. She won the Evening Standard Best Actress Award for another Almeida hit, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and for Mother Courage at the National Theatre, which also earned her an Olivier Award nomination. Other theatre credits include Abelard and Heloise, Follies, Humble Boy, Suddenly Last Summer and, most recently, Honour in the West End.

Manville is perhaps best known for her acting collaborations with director Mike Leigh, which began in 1980. She has appeared in his films High Hopes, Secrets and Lies, Topsy-Turvy, All or Nothing and Vera Drake. Other film credits include Dance with a Stranger and Sammie and Rosie Get Laid. She was last seen at The Old Vic in The Marriage of Figaro. Recent theater includes Pillars of the Community and His Dark Materials at the National and The Cherry Orchard in the West End directed by Sam Mendes. At the RSC's Warehouse and at the Royal Court, her credits include Borderline, Rita, Sue and Bob Too, Falkland Sound and Top Girls, for which she won an Obie Award in New York.

Pedro Almodóvar commented on Diana Rigg's casting: "I have been a fan of Diana's for all these years, and I am thrilled that she is playing Huma." This production marks the first time that Almodóvar has agreed to his work being produced in English for the theater and nearly 20 years since he has permitted a major stage adaptation of his work.