Noma Dumezweni: Olivier award-winning actress drafted in to replace Kim Cattrall in new Penelope Skinner play

Sex and the City star pulls out less than a week before opening night 'at the advice of her doctors'

Noma Dumezweni will be replacing Kim Cattrall in Linda (Rex)

Every actor needs a lucky break, right?

Yes, and the wait is over for Noma Sumezweni, who has been drafted in to replace Kim Cattrall in Linda, a new play by Penelope Skinner at London’s Royal Court, after the Sex and the City star pulled out less than a week before opening night.

Oh dear, did she get a better offer?

No, unfortunately it was “at the advice of my doctors,” Cattrall said, thanking the theatre team for “allowing me to put my health first.”

The show must go on…

Indeed – and luckily for Linda’s producers, Ms Sumezweni was waiting in the wings. She is already an Olivier award-winning star, for A Raisin in the Sun at the Lyric Hammersmith in 2006, but in replacing such a famous actress her name is likely to become even better known. Ms Dumezweni, who was born in Swaziland and moved to the UK with her family as a child, will take up the titular role, playing a top marketing executive who appears to “have it all” when her seemingly perfect life starts to fall apart.

Hopefully the production will all go to plan, then.

Royal Court artistic director Vicky Featherstone said the theatre was “deeply sorry that Kim is unable to continue with the production” but the actress had their “warmest wishes”. She said: “We are extremely grateful and also thrilled that Noma Dumezweni, one of our most brilliant actors, has agreed to take on this challenge at such short notice.” The theatre said all scheduled performances of Linda will go ahead as planned.