DAVID HARE'S AWARD-WINNING PLAY

A true cross-section of Britain's acting talent take centre stage in this chilling play of lost love, betrayal and snobbery. Shame and The Great Gatsby star Carey Mulligan makes her West End stage debut opposite the ever-popular Bill Nighy (State of Play, Love Actually, Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), in a play that garnered both and Olivier and Tony Awards in 1995 and 1997, respectively.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

Young East End schoolteacher Kyra Hollis (Carey Mulligan) is visited on a cold winter's night in London by Edward Sargeant (Matthew Beard) whose mother recently died. Grief-stricken and confused, he demands to know why Kyra, who used to to live with the Sargeant family and who he saw as a sister, abandoned him so suddenly.

Enter Edward's suave and successful restuaranteur father, Tom (Bill Nighy), who arrives unannounced and uninvited. After expressing surprise at Edward being there, he then proceeds to maliciously poke fun at Kyra's seemingly tedious lifestyle, whilst alluding subtly to the real reason why Kyra left; he and Kyra were having an affair under his wife's very nose, unbeknownst by Edward.

With his wife now dead, and Tom again on the prowl, will the pair choose to rekindle their love or will their differing values prove too much an obstacle - not to mention the presence of Edward, who becomes more and more bemused by the evening's events.

RETURN TO THE WYNDHAM'S - 20 YEARS ON

The original production of Skylight saw Michael Gambon in the role of Tom opposite Lia Williams. It originally premiered at the National Theatre, before moving to the Wyndham's Theatre - where nearly 20 years on, it makes its return.