After starring in Season 1 of Happy Valley on BBC, it looks like James Norton is ready for a stronger role. He’ll be playing in the stage reproduction of the book, A Little Life. If you’re in the area, you can catch it from March 25 at London’s Harold Pinter Theatre for 12 weeks. If you miss it during this time, it will play for another five weeks from July 4th at the Savoy Theatre.
It’s quite a grueling role. The book features many dark scenes, such as self-harm, suicide, nudity, drugs, rape, and violence. If any of these aspects trigger you, it may be best to avoid the stage version of A Little Life. However, James Norton told BBC News that psychotherapists will be there to address the crowd about sensitive topics.
One of the main concerns for James Norton is that he’s a diabetic. Since he’ll be on stage almost permanently for just under four hours, he says he has plans in place in case he needs his sugar tablets. He has them hidden in strategic locations, such as a wheelchair during one of the scenes. If he feels strange, he should be able to get his hands on one.
Then, there are the sex scenes. As has become customary lately, there will be intimacy coordinators to deal with how the sexual acts play out. If you’ve been following Sean Bean lately, you’ll know he’s had some issues with this. He’s been quoted saying that it takes away the spontaneity of sex on scenes. However, the purpose of these coordinators is to ensure that no one walks away with long-term trauma.
Either way, it looks like James Norton is excited about the new role, even if it means he’ll be beaten up on stage in some challenging scenes. If you’re in London and you don’t mind seeing a hardcore play, you may not want to miss out on A Little Life.
