Matthew Rhys to perform one-man Richard Burton play to raise funds for Welsh National Theatre

Emmy-winning actor Matthew Rhys will return to the Welsh stage for the first time in more than two decades to raise money for the Welsh National Theatre, performing a one-man play that channels Richard Burton. Rhys, who plays Nile Jarvis in Netflix's The Beast in Me, will portray Burton in Playing Burton, a show tracing the South Wales-born star from his beginnings to his rise as one of the era’s most celebrated performers. The tour will run across Wales, ending with a special performance at Bethel Chapel Café in Burton’s birthplace Pontrhydyfen in Neath Port Talbot.

Rhys grew up in Cardiff and now lives in New York. He said Burton inspired him to act and "blazed the trail for us all." Returning to Wales for a series of shows across the country felt right, Rhys said, especially as 2025 marks Burton’s centenary year and the first year of the Welsh National Theatre. He added: "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."

Rhys recalled: "When Covid hit, I prepared a production of Playing Burton but have never had the chance to perform it on stage." He said the timing felt right for a Welsh revival, noting that 2025 is Burton’s centenary year and the Welsh National Theatre’s first year.

The one-man show, Playing Burton, looks at Burton's beginnings in south Wales 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 explores fame, ambition, and identity. It was written by Mark Jenkins, directed by Tony Award-winning director Bartlett Sher, and produced by Maris Lyons.

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." He added that 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: "Richard Burton's career spanned decades and instilled a lifelong 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."