Obsession

Starring Jude Law!

Sought out director Ivo Van Hove returns to London with this brand new adaptation of Visconti's 1943 film masterpiece, after scooping a slew of Tony nominations for his recent, searing productions of The View From The Bridge and The Crucible. Starring Jude Law as charismatic vagrant Gino, who falls deeply and passionately for bored, married Giovanna and begins an affair that spirals into horrifying, chilling circumstances.

Known as one of the first examples of Italian neorealism, Obsession made waves for exploring the gritty realities of life through a destructive relationship, which perfectly fits Van Hove's stark, powerful style, that thrills the audience with stripped down simplicity and encourages his actors to inhabit the character entirely.

This too marks a welcome return to the Barbican for Law, who last graced the stages there some 22 years ago. No stranger to the stage however, his last turn in the West End (2013's Henry V) won many plaudits, singling him out as one of the most magnetic actors of his generation.

Alongside him, the cast will be made up of a mix of English and Dutch actors, with Van Hove's theatre company Toneelgroep Amsterdam.

Tainted love: The Story of Obsession

When Gino, a handsome drifter stops by the roadside restaurant of the beautiful Giovanna and her dim-witted husband Giuseppe, he is immediately head over heels for this trapped wife, who longs for adventure and fulfilment. Chaste, until they can stand the tension no longer, Gino and Giovanna's longing spills into a zealous love affair that soon sees them longing for freedom from the foolish Giuseppe. When they hatch a plan to kill him and make it look like an accident, neither can predict the overarching guilt that will taint their love, and make Giuseppe an even bigger part of their lives from six feet below the ground...