Lily James and Gillian Anderson: All About Eve, Noel Coward Theatre London 2019

Another year, another bold new show by Dutch director Ivo van Hove.

This time he joins forces with the luminous Gillian Anderson and bright new star Lily James to bring 1950s film All About Eve to the stage. Anderson is replacing Cate Blanchett, who pulled out of the production due to 'scheduling conflicts' and will instead be starring in a new play at the National Theatre.

Gillian Anderson and Lily James in rehearsals for All About Eve. Photography by Jan Versweyveld

After A View From the Bridge, Hedda Gabler, and Obsession, London apparently has an insatiable appetite for van Hove's avant-garde interpretations of classic stories. In turn, the theatre-maker's mighty reputation attracts actors of the highest calibre (Mark Strong, Ruth Wilson, Jude Law, to name just a few).

Emmy, Golden Globe, Evening Standard and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning actor Gillian Anderson returns to the London stage. With a career that spans The X Files to a smouldering Blanche DuBois at the Young Vic, she has the kind of talent that sells out theatres and keeps audiences captivated.

Anderson plays Margo Channing, the role made famous by Bette Davis on the silver screen in 1950. The titular Eve, a ruthlessly ambitious starlet, is played by Lily James. Since bringing vivacity to the role of Lady Rose in ITV's Downton Abbey, James's career has accelerated with giddying speed. She won hearts as Disney's Cinderella personified on the big screen and then brought irrepressible charisma as Juliet on the West End. Add in roles in edgy hit Baby Driver and blockbuster Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again and Lily James is very much the nation's sweetheart. We look forward to seeing her shedding the sweetness to play the scheming Eve.

Lily James, photographed by Jan Versweyveld

Since dominating at the Oscars, Cannes Film Festival and Golden Globe awards, All About Eve has become a bonafide classic and a regular on any list of 'greatest movies of all time'. It tells the story of Broadway megastar Margo, who's nearing 40 and anxious about the longevity of her success. Enter beautiful young Eve Harrington, a besotted fan and aspiring actress, who wheedles her way into Margo's life with first flattery, then alarming ruthlessness.

It's a story about the stage, the need for applause and the intense demands of live performance, so the theatre feels like a natural home for All About Eve.

Gillian Anderson, photographed by Jan Versweyveld

Prepare for a stark interpretation from Ivo van Hove, who has made minimalist interiors and abstract, suspended time zones his trademark. With big egos, manipulation and obsessive ambition, All About Eve is shot through with the psychological intensity so prevalent in van Hove's productions.

And with powerhouse producers Sonia Friedman Productions and Fox Stage Productions behind the project, you can be certain All About Eve will be a beg-steal-or-borrow-a-ticket hit. Make sure you book early.

Tickets are on sale here.