Cumming, McGregor star in Stanley Tucci film's stage premiere
Alan Cumming and Ewan McGregor will lead the world premiere stage adaptation of Supernova, the 2020 film that starred Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci. Harry Macqueen’s play opens at Scotland’s Pitlochry Festival Theatre in summer 2027, directed by John Tiffany.
The announcement lands as major celebrity breaking news for theatre fans on both sides of the Atlantic. Cumming, artistic director of Pitlochry Festival Theatre, will share the stage with fellow Scottish star McGregor in the roles inhabited on screen by Firth and Tucci. Further casting is still to be announced.
Key Takeaways
- Alan Cumming and Ewan McGregor lead the world premiere of Supernova on stage.
- The play adapts Harry Macqueen’s 2020 film that starred Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci.
- John Tiffany directs at Pitlochry Festival Theatre from July 24 to August 21, 2027.
- Macqueen is adapting his own screenplay in his stage playwriting debut.
- General tickets go on sale August 12, 2026, via the theatre’s website.
When and where does the Supernova stage premiere open?
Performances run July 24 through August 21, 2027, at Pitlochry Festival Theatre in Perthshire, Scotland. Opening night is set for July 30, 2027, according to Playbill.
Priority booking for patrons and Festival Circle members is already underway. Festival Friends booking begins August 5 at 10 AM BST, with general sales starting August 12 at 10 AM BST on the theatre website.
What is the Stanley Tucci film about on stage?
Macqueen’s film follows Sam and Tusker, partners for 20 years. After Tusker receives an early-onset dementia diagnosis, the couple sets out on a road trip chasing memories and visiting the people they love.
Macqueen is adapting his own screenplay for the stage, marking his debut as a playwright. The 2020 movie, produced by Quiddity and The Bureau, was well received by critics and earned two BAFTA nominations.
“Supernova engages with some of life’s most challenging questions,” Macqueen said in a statement. “With debate about end-of-life choices still raging, perhaps these questions feel more prescient now than ever.”
Who else is joining Cumming and McGregor on the creative team?
John Tiffany, known for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and Once, will direct. Movement direction is by Steven Hoggett, design by Jamie Harrison, and associate direction by Sam Hardie. Tiffany and Hoggett recently scored a Pitlochry triumph with Once.
Cumming said he is excited to welcome McGregor, “a fellow Perthshire home boy,” for what he called an extraordinary theatre event. He described the production as a love story, a treatise on life and death itself, and a visual feast with two Scottish laddies at its heart.
McGregor said he has been very moved by Macqueen’s text and looks forward to throwing himself into the role with Tiffany, Harrison, and Hoggett. Director Tiffany recalled that the film broke his heart when he first watched it, adding that translating the story to the stage is a dream come true.