The Annie Proulx novel Brokeback Mountain, most known for the critically acclaimed film adaptation from director Ang Lee, is now being made into a stage play that will debut in May at the Sohoplace Theatre in London’s West End.
The iconic 2005 film was a massive success, thanks in part to the performances of hotties Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal as two lonely cowboys who find love while herding sheep through Wyoming in the summer of 1963. The roles were big swings for the two actors at the time and not just because they went completely bare ass, balls, and cock, but they ended up being heavily praised for their deeply committed portrayals the characters and every aspect of their relationship, from its intense sexual beginning to its emotionally heartbreaking conclusion.
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Two familiar faces (and bodies) are stepping into those roles for the live stage version. Lucas Hedges, Oscar nominee for 2016’s Manchester By The Sea who stripped down and cupped his junk in 2019’s Honey Boy, will play Ledger’s character Ennis del Mar while Mike Faist, who recently played Riff in the 2021 remake of West Side Story and showed off his pecs the same year in Panic, is appearing as Gyllenhaal’s Jack Twist.
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No word yet on whether this adaptation will feature the actors nude as the movie did, but as performers like Dan Radcliffe and Jesse Williams - who both have been nude on stage in front of large live audiences - can attest, it’s not only not unheard of, it can be a huge selling point the producers may not want to pass up.
