Bridgerton star Jamie Beamish makes 'challenging' West End comeback

Derry Girls actor Jamie Beamish is trading the sitcom laughs for some serious stage sweat as he begins rehearsals for a new production of Eugene O'Neill's Desire Under the Elms. The Waterford man, best known to global audiences as the loathsome Nigel Berbrooke in Bridgerton, is making his first appearance in London's theatre district in over ten years.

Playing the role of Simeon, the eldest son of a terrifying patriarch, Beamish admitted that the transition from comedy to O'Neill’s heavy drama has been a bit of a shock to the system. According to the Irish Post, the actor joked that his character "makes very few jokes" and that playing someone so earnest and tragic is a welcome, if difficult, change of pace.

It’s not just the script that’s keeping him on his toes; the production, directed by Ebenezer Bamgboye, includes live music and movement. Beamish, a trained singer, told the Irish Post he suffered a bit of "brain freeze" during a recent rehearsal, momentarily forgetting his lyrics after the nerves of performing in front of the company for the first time kicked in.

The production also marks a reunion for Beamish and fellow Irish star Kelly Gough, who recently filmed the RTÉ series The Unreal together. The play is set to run at the Almeida Theatre from November 10 until late December, bringing a modern, musical twist to the 1924 American classic.