Bradley Cooper taking ‘The Elephant Man’ to London in May

Bradley Cooper, riding high on the dual successes of “American Sniper” in cinemas and “The Elephant Man” on Broadway, will soon be heading to London, where he will open the stage production at the Theatre Royal Haymarket for a limited run starting in the spring.

The actor had recently said that “The Elephant Man” would be transferring to London, and producers confirmed the run on Friday. The stage production is scheduled to begin performances May 19 and run through Aug. 8.

Alessandro Nivola and Patricia Clarkson, who costar with Cooper in the play in New York, will also be featured in the London transfer.

The revival production has been a box-office success in New York, where it is running through Feb. 21 at the Booth Theatre. The Broadway run was recently cut short by one day so that Cooper can attend the Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles. The Oscars are set for Feb. 22 at the Dolby Theatre.

Performances of “The Elephant Man” on Feb. 7 at 8 p.m. and Feb. 8 at 3 p.m. have also been canceled so that Cooper can attend the Directors Guild of America Awards ceremony in L.A., where he will present nominated “American Sniper” director Clint Eastwood.

This staging of “The Elephant Man,” directed by Scott Ellis, was first seen in 2012 at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. The play, by Bernard Pomerance, tells the story of John Merrick (Cooper), an Englishman born with severe physical deformities, and his gradual acceptance into British society.

In a prepared statement, Cooper said that “never did we think we would have the privilege to perform this show on Broadway, let alone London.”

At the Oscars ceremony, Cooper will be up for two awards -- best actor and, as a producer, best picture for “American Sniper.” The movie, based on the memoirs of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, has dominated the U.S. box office since opening nationwide last week.

Twitter: @DavidNgLAT