New 'Brokeback Mountain' Adaptation: What to Know

By Ashley Turner

A stage adaptation of Brokeback Mountain is currently being performed in the West End, starring Mike Faist and Lucas Hedges. Based on Annie Proulx's short story, the adaptation calls itself "a new play with music," according to The Hollywood Reporter. The short story was later adapted into a 2005 film. The stage version of the play was written by Ashley Robinson, and directed by Jonathan Butterell, with songs by Dan Gillespie Sells.

From now through Aug. 12, London's Soho Place will host the show's world premiere. Hedges, who was nominated for an Oscar for his performance in Manchester By the Sea and acted on Broadway, play the role of Ennis (portrayed in the film adaptation by Heath Ledger). Faist, who recently appeared on Broadway and in the West Side Story film, plays Jack, a role previously portrayed by Jake Gyllenhaal. The show marks the West End debuts of both actors. 

A secret romantic relationship develops between Ennis and Jack on an isolated mountaintop in Wyoming in 1963, similar to the plot of the film adaptation. Added to the stage version will be the Balladeer, played by Eddi Reader, who Robinson wrote will sing Gillespie Sells' Country and Western songs and "give voice to the tumultuous inner landscape of our wannabe cowboys (both young men of few words)," per The Hollywood Reporter. 

"Brokeback Mountain has been recreated in several different forms, each with its own distinctive moods and impact. Ashley's script is fresh and deeply moving, opening sight lines not visible in the original nor successive treatments," Proulx said.

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"I'm honoured to be entrusted by Annie Proulx to bring new life in new form to her timeless and universal story. A story that means so much to so many and will surely mean as much to a whole new generation," Robinson said.

With a $14 million budget, the Ang Lee-directed film grossed over $178 million worldwide, receiving critical acclaim and high praise for Ledger and Gyllenhaal's performances. In addition to being nominated for Best Picture at the 78th Academy Awards, Brokeback Mountain won Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Original Score. It won four awards at the 63rd Golden Globe Awards. Brokeback Mountain was also nominated for nine British Academy Film Awards, winning Best Film, Best Direction, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor for Gyllenhaal. The Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry in 2018 as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

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