Rush plays a lowly civil servant driven mad in the darkly comic play, adapted from an 1853 short story by novelist Nikolai Gogol. The play is being directed by Neil Armfield. It's being presented by Belvoir, one of Australia's most respected theater companies.
Belvoir also launched the production of "Exit the King," which won Rush a Tony Award in 2009 for the leading role of the mad monarch. "The Diary of a Madman" will play from Feb. 11 to March 12. Rush's film credits include "Shine" and "Shakespeare in Love."