Sir Ian McKellen will star in a play without ever stepping on stage, the BBC reported Wednesday.

The 87-year-old Lord of the Rings actor appears as a 3D hologram in An Ark, which is coming to Factory International's Aviva Studios in Manchester, England, the BBC said. The play first opened in New York.

Audience members watch through mixed reality glasses, BroadwayWorld reported. The actors were filmed in a single take, and they make eye contact with the audience as the story unfolds.

Golda Rosheuvel of Bridgerton, Arinze Kene and Rosie Sheehy join McKellen in the cast, both outlets reported. Simon Stephens wrote the play, and Sarah Frankcom directed it, BroadwayWorld said.

"A new Simon Stephens play is always an excitement but when it is written to be performed in this unique way, it feels more like an explosion," McKellen said, according to the BBC. He added that New York had already been impressed. "Now it's Manchester's turn," he said.

The run is set for March 27 to April 10, and general tickets go on sale Oct. 20, BroadwayWorld reported. The production comes from Tin Drum, the company behind KAGAMI, a mixed reality concert with Ryuichi Sakamoto that sold out in Manchester.

Sheehy called the project "a true adventure," the BBC reported. "Experimenting with what theatre can be is always a thrill," she said.

McKellen was born in Burnley, near Manchester, and still keeps ties to the town, the BBC noted. He performed at Burnley Youth Theatre in 2019 as part of his 80th birthday tour.

What we know: An Ark, with McKellen as a hologram, runs in Manchester from March 27 to April 10.
What we don't: Ticket prices, which neither outlet reported.