Keira Knightley And Judith Light Celebrate Opening Night Of ‘Therese Raquin’

Keira Knightley made her Broadway debut in Therese Raquin alongside Judith Light at Studio 54 Thursday night.

Keira Knightley In ‘Therese Raquin’

Knightley stars in Therese Raquin as the titular character, who is married to the invalid Camile (Gabriel Ebert), whose mother Madame Raquin is played by Light. Unhappy in her marriage – which includes a move to Paris to live with her mother-in-law – Therese begins an ill-fated affair with Camille’s friend Laurent (Matt Ryan).

During previews of the play, Knightley suffered an injury to her wrist that she was still nursing on opening night, forcing her to wear a brace.

“I forgot onstage that I was acting. My character is supposed to be stronger than Gabe’s character, so I launched myself at him, which is not very bright when you’re 5’7″ and he’s 6’4,” ” Knightley told Variety, explaining the injury. “It swelled up like you’ve never seen!”

“Sprains take ages to heal, and I have a six-month-old so I’m lifting her up all the time, which means I’m not quite resting it as much as I should,” Knightley added, referring to her daughter with husband James Righton, Edie. “So my wrist isn’t great, but it’s okay.”

Thus far, the revival of Helen Edmundson‘s play, which is based on the novel by Émile Zola and directed by Evan Cabnet, has received mixed reviews. Knightley’s performance, however, has largely been praised.

“Knightley segues from playing one of the great adulteresses of European literature in Anna Karenina to another, with a tremulous commitment that prevents you from taking your eyes off her,” wrote David Rooney in his review for The Hollywood Reporter.

In Jesse Green’s review for Vulture, he writes of Knightley, “She is compelling and articulate, especially when silent, and brings to the morose tale the banked-fire quality that seems to illuminate such material from within. Which is a good thing, since it isn’t much illuminated from without.”

Thérèse Raquin is at Studio 54 through Jan. 10.