Simm Turns Lights on at Trafalgar with Elling???

John Simm finished his extended, sell-out run of Elling at west London’s Bush Theatre this past weekend, but we’re hearing renewed rumours that the Life on Mars star will be heading into the West End fairly quickly with the Norwegian screen-to-stage comedy, possibly setting up in Trafalgar Studio 1 (See The Goss, 15 May 2007). Aside from a two-week stint for the touring production of slave trade play African Snow (See News, 13 Apr 2007), the 400-seater has been dark since 24 March, when Harry Burton’s revival of Harold Pinter’s The Dumb Waiter, starring Lee Evans and Jason Isaacs, concluded its run. It’s previously been tipped for Orlando Bloom’s West End debut vehicle, In Celebration, which is now opening at the Duke of York’s (See News, 25 May 2007), and further ahead, a small-scale autumn revival of Jonathan Larson’s La Boheme-inspired musical Rent (See The Goss, 2 May 2007), directed by Kylie Minogue’s former stylist William Baker. Elling reunites Simm with playwright Simon Bent – who has written the piece based on Axel Hellstenius and Petter Naess’ adaptation of the cult 2001 Norwegian film, which was based on the original novel by Ingvar Ambjornsen – and director Paul Miller. Simm’s last stage appearance was also at the Bush, in Bent’s 1996 play Goldhawk Road, directed by Miller. The Elling cast also features Adrian Bower, Keir Charles, Ingrid Lacey and Jonathan Cecil.

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