American playwright and author Lila Raicek is bringing her new play, My Master Builder, to London’s West End Wyndham’s Theatre April 17 through July 12 under the direction of Michael Grandage. Set over the course of one scandalous night in the Hamptons, My Master Builder explores the interplay between desire and power through an acutely modern, female lens. Elena Solness, a publishing magnate, is preparing to throw a party to celebrate her architect husband, Henry Solness, at their Hamptons home when their already vulnerable union is shattered by the unexpected arrival of Mathilde, a former student of Henry’s. Ewan McGregor stars alongside Elizabeth Debicki and Kate Fleetwood.
DuJour talked to the London-bound Raicek about her new play, how it all came together and trading the Hamptons for the Cotswalds this summer.
Your new play My Master Builder is inspired by Ibsen’s The Master Builder. Tell us about the connection.
Not long ago, I was invited to a dinner party in the Hamptons, hosted by an eminent British couple on the cusp of divorce. As the evening unfolded, and games of psychosexual warfare were played between the couple, I realized I had not only been invited as a guest—but as a pawn. I came away from that night wanting to write a provocative, high-stakes new play about a complex love triangle; a vulnerable marriage shattered by the arrival of a young woman, with whom they share an intimate past. While that story was consuming my subconscious, I found myself reading a book called Munch’s Ibsen for a different play. I realized that Ibsen’s love triangle— problematic in its portrayal of the two female characters—was, in a way, the scaffolding for my own and, within itself, had such startling contemporary resonance.
Did you imagine this play would be produced so quickly with such an all star creative team?
I wrote My Master Builder, with feverish intensity, in about seven weeks last year. I was under commission by wunderkind Broadway producer Greg Nobile’s Seaview Productions, who I had pitched the idea to shortly after the inspirational dinner party. Shortly thereafter, in August 2024, that first draft landed on the desk of director Michael Grandage who was intrigued. In September, Michael threw together a casual cold reading with Ewan McGregor and wanted to hear the play as the character of Henry, the architect. The next week, Michael said to me: “How do you feel about starting rehearsals in spring?” News only topped, a few weeks later, that the brilliant Elizabeth Debicki and Kate Fleetwood would be joining Ewan McGregor to complete the twisted love triangle. Now, six months later, we are opening the play. So, it has been a whirlwind!
Ewan hasn’t been on the London stage in 17 years. What are you excited to see from him?
It has been inspiring to watch the special connection between Michael and Ewan, which has been developed over two previous productions. And, of course, beyond thrilling to see Ewan, a masterful theatrical powerhouse, back on stage. I think that has something to do with his trust in the Michael, a theatre legend, to fearlessly tackle new work, which probes the charged sexual politics of our time in a nuanced and challenging way.
Elizabeth Debicki and Ewan McGregor in rehearsals for the West End play My Master Builder (Johan Persson)
The play takes place over July 4 weekend in the Hamptons. Have you spent many a July 4th weekend out East?
I have spent many holiday weekends out east, but mostly in the role of the guest—the outsider entering the dynamics of a domestic situation which, as a playwright, can be mined for dramatic potential. What fascinates me is the poeticness of the Hamptons terrain which, to me, feels very Ibsen. The dunes, the seascape, the light that inspired many abstract expressionists…it all has a very dreamy quality. And within that, you have the classic theatricality of being trapped in a country house–and what is more dramatic than the secrets and surprises that can be revealed within the alcohol-tinged, heightened context of a party?
You’re swapping NYC for London this spring and summer. Any places you’re excited to explore?
Once the play opens, I’d love to take a weekend jaunt to the Cotswolds. I am also planning a weekend in Cornwall to see the lighthouse—Virginia Woolf’s, that is, from To The Lighthouse—and to visit the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden.
This is your first play being produced in London. Have you spent much time here before?
While New York has my heart, London is only other city I could imagine myself living. I have been very fortunate to split my time between The Twenty Two in Marylebone, where I am living as the unofficial playwright in residence for the month and the Wyndham’s Theatre.
Describe a perfect day in London.
An early morning walk in Hyde Park to stroll by Henry Moore’s “The Arch,” or the rose garden in Regent’s Park when in bloom. Then breakfast on the terrace at The Twenty Two. If I can sneak in some culture, I would try to re-visit the new Edvard Munch exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery; the stunning acquisition of Joan Mitchell’s “Iva” at the Tate Modern or the Cecily Brown commission at the top of the Courtauld. Pre-theatre drinks at the Fumoir at Claridge’s or dirty martinis at the Connaught bar. I’m excited to see shows like Giant, Richard II and Fiddler on the Roof. And post-show fries and champagne at J. Sheekey or the Ivy Club.