Matthew Rhys to play Richard Burton in return to Welsh stage

Emmy Award-winner Matthew Rhys is set to return to the Welsh stage this November for the first time in 22 years in an acclaimed one-man play about Richard Burton to raise funds for Michael Sheen’s new Welsh National Theatre.

With RB100 – the Richard Burton celebrations marking a centenary since the iconic actor’s birth – ongoing, Rhys is coming back to Wales from his US home for a series of shows across the country, culminating in a special performance in Bethel Chapel Café in Burton’s birthplace Pontrhydyfen to close the centenary celebrations.

Written by Mark Jenkins, directed by Tony Award-winning director Bartlett Sher and produced by Maris Lyons, ‘Playing Burton’ offers a penetrating look at the actor’s life, from his impoverished South Wales beginnings to his rise as one of the greatest performers of his generation. Charting his passionate love affair with Elizabeth Taylor and his very public struggle with alcoholism, the play is a soulful exploration of fame, ambition, and identity.

Cardiff-born Rhys, who in 2018 won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama series for his role in The Americans, has been rehearsing the role at his home in New York.

Matthew Rhys said: “Michael Sheen has been putting all us Welsh actors to shame by setting up Welsh National Theatre so, when a space appeared in my schedule, I felt it was my time to step up!

“When Covid hit, I prepared a production of Playing Burton but have never had the chance to perform it on stage. With 2025 being both Burton’s centenary year and the first year of the Welsh National Theatre, it felt right to return to the Welsh stage for the first time in 20-plus years.

“The reason I wanted to act was because of Richard Burton. Since first seeing his incredible performance in Look Back in Anger to still listening to his audio of Hamlet and Under Milk Wood. He blazed the trail for us all and showed us it was possible.”

Michael Sheen said: “Matthew got in touch with me to say he had a window in his diary so how could he help Welsh National Theatre. What started with a simple message has turned into a tour where people across our country can see one of our greatest actors play one of our greatest actors, all in the year of Richard Burton’s centenary.

“One of the first things I did when we started was to visit theatres up and down Wales, so it feels special to be able to take this show to stages in lots of communities. The whole thing has a special kind of serendipity and is exactly what we wanted to unlock with Welsh National Theatre.”

Councillor Cen Phillips, Cabinet Member for Nature, Tourism and Wellbeing at Neath Port Talbot Council, said: “The Richard Burton Centenary celebrates Burton’s incredible career, and highlights how he was shaped by the communities and landscapes of the region he called home. So, taking Playing Burton across Wales is a fantastic way to continue his legacy by inspiring a new generation.

“Richard Burton’s career spanned decades and instilled a life-long love of performing arts within millions. He remained proud of his Port Talbot roots throughout it all, and we hope these performances encourage and inspire more people to engage with the arts in Wales. It feels as though Burton is passing the torch to the Welsh National Theatre to continue representing Wales on the international stage, providing opportunities for Welsh actors to find new heights of success – if our Richard Burton can do it, so can others. Ending the Centenary with the performance at Bethel Chapel will be a fitting tribute Burton, a true to a legend of stage and screen.”

Tickets are on sale now to see Matthew Rhys in Playing Burton with all funds going to support Welsh National Theatre and available here: https://www.welshnationaltheatre.com/playing-burton

Playing Burton Tour
Mon 17 November – Mwldan Arts Centre, Cardigan
Tue 18 November – William Aston Hall, Wrexham
Wed 19 November- Sony Theatre, Bridgend College – closed event for a youth audience of PA and Drama students, Urdd and Into Film
Thurs 20 November- Urdd and Bridgend College performance, Wales Millennium Centre- closed event
Fri 21 November- Reardon Smith Theatre, National Museum for Wales, Cardiff (with special Q & A between Michael Sheen and Matthew Rhys)
Sat 22 November- Theatr y Werin, Aberystwyth Arts Centre
Sun 23 November- Pontio, Bangor
Mon 24 & Tue 25 November- Swansea Grand Theatre (with special Q & A between Michael Sheen and Matthew Rhys)
Wed 26 November- Bethel Chapel Café, Pontrhydyfen – closed event for the local community