British comedy 'The Philanthropist' returns to London stage

Lily Cole poses for a photo before an interview during Web Summit, in Lisbon, Portugal November 8, 2016.  [Photo/Agencies]

British model and actress Lily Cole said on Monday she was happy to return to acting in the stage revival of a 1970s comedy about a group of university students.

Cole joins British actors Simon Bird, Matt Berry and Charlotte Ritchie in "The Philanthropist," penned by playwright Christopher Hampton and directed by Simon Callow. The show will be at the Trafalgar Studios in London, running through July.

Set in a fictional elite university town, "The Philanthropist" follows a group of students wrapped up in their lives over a 24-hour period.

Cole, a University of Cambridge graduate and successful model, compared working with Callow to "being in acting school."

The play was first performed at London's Royal Court Theatre in 1970, and seen there by Callow.

"It's always stuck in the back of my mind as one of the funniest, most elegant, most sparking, brilliant, most assured pieces of writing," he said.

AP