"Love, Love, Love" and "Berlin Station" star Richard Armitage is seen at the premiere of his motion-picture fantasy "The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies" in Los Angeles on December 9, 2014. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

NEW YORK, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- British film, stage and television star Richard Armitage says living in New York and making his off-Broadway debut in Mike Bartlett's Love, Love, Love is "a bit of a dream."

The Roundabout Theatre Company production co-stars Alex Hurt, Zoe Kazan, Ben Rosenfield and Amy Ryan. With an official opening night planned for Oct. 19, the limited engagement will play through Dec. 18 at the Laura Pels Theatre at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre. The dark comedy is being directed by Michael Mayer.


"We need an audience, so everyone is very excited and ready to go," Armitage told UPI in a phone interview.

"It's a first for me, but it's a nice play. It's a good play. It's got some important themes in it, but, at the same time, it's a lot of fun. I've been in the rehearsal room for four weeks and I think I've laughed every day, which has been a real tonic," he added. "I've wanted to work with Michael Mayer for a long time. I've also been an admirer of Mike Bartlett's work for some time, so the opportunity to work on a British play in an American context, I think, was really good and I've wanted to work at the Roundabout for awhile, as well, so all three of those combinations sort of fell into place."

The 45-year-old actor went on to say he is enjoying living in New York.

"It's great. It's so nice to be able to step out of your door and get on a subway and arrive at 42nd Street and go to work. It's a bit of a dream for an actor. I have to pinch myself every day. So, yeah, I love it. It's very buzzy," he noted.

Asked if he attracts much attention from fans while he is out and about, he replied: "I've always been pretty lucky in that respect. I don't tend to get recognized. Posters for [my new TV show] Berlin Station have started going up, so there are a couple of people doing a double take, but, on the whole, it's pretty easy to live in New York City. I think there are so many well-known people here that everyone's pretty cool about it."

Armitage is best known for his work in The Hobbit film franchise, as well as on TV's Hannibal, MI-5, Robin Hood and North and South. His espionage thriller series Berlin Station is to premiere on EPIX Oct. 16.