Jake Gyllenhaal to take stage for landmark Broadway venue's grand re-opening

Jake Gyllenhaal is set to star in the first play staged in Broadway's Hudson Theatre for almost five decades.

The Everest star is set to appear in the first ever Broadway revival of Lanford Wilson's acclaimed 1987 play Burn This at the venue, the first full production staged at the New York venue since 1968.

Burn This, which will be directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer, will be Jake's second performance in the iconic theatre district, coming two years after he made his Broadway debut in Constellations.

Jake will play the role of Pale in the play, a wayward New Yorker who embarks on a relationship with Anna, his deceased brother's old dance partner. Pale was played by John Malkovich in the original 1987 production.

Michael tells Playbill.com, "I am honoured to bring Lanford Wilson's gorgeous and timeless play back to Broadway in a new production starring Jake Gyllenhaal, whose stage work has been exhilarating and who is a dream choice for this role."

The first performance of the play is scheduled for February next year (17), ahead of an official opening night of 6 March (17). Limited performances will run until June (17).

In December last year (15) bosses at the U.K.'s Ambassador Theatre Group announced that they had bought the historic playhouse, which had been used as a conference venue since 1995, with a view to reopening it as a working theatre.

Mark Cornell, the group's Chief Executive Officer says, "We are thrilled that Jake will star in the first play at The Hudson Theatre in almost 50 years. We can't wait to welcome audiences to see Michael Mayer's new production."

At the time of WENN going to press, additional casting for Burn This was yet to be announced.