I Beg You, Don't Stop me Going Out In The Evenings

Chris Pine makes his stage debut!

'Settled life' - is there ever such a thing? Simon Stone (The Lady From The Sea) reimagines Anton Chekhov's four-act 19th-century drama at London's Bridge Theatre with Critics' Circle Award winner Chris Pine at the forefront in his stage debut as Nikolai.

The story about a government official whose wife is unknowingly plagued with tuberculosis, constantly brings up the concepts of human integrity, deceit and dishonesty. It delves into the lives of people and dissects their motivations.  It was written in just ten days, and after initially not liking how the play had turned out, Chekhov revised the piece. It has since become one of the writer's most insightful and best-known works.

What's The Story?

Nikolai thought he'd hit the sweet spot of life - a loving wife who gave up everything for him (her conservative parents even turned their backs because of his politics), a flourishing career, a home he should feel proud of. And yet: something's off. Debt's creeping in, his wife's health has taken a mysterious nosedive, the party at the Lebedevs tonight is both his escape and his trap. Why does the world feel like it's unravelling? Did he ever really feel joyful in the first place, or is this just burnout dressed up as crisis?