MARY Chase’s Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy about a man’s friendship with a six foot invisible rabbit named Harvey will be hopping into Malvern Theatres

from Tuesday, February 24.

Heading to Malvern ahead of its West End run, Maureen Lipman will be playing Veta, who tries to get her brother, Elwood P. Dowd, played by television's

Gimme Gimme Gimme star and Olivier Award winning actor James Dreyfus, committed rather than risk the family’s reputation.

Elwood P. Dowd has only one character flaw: an unwavering friendship with a six-foot tall, invisible rabbit named Harvey.

In order to save the family's reputation, Elwood's sister Veta takes him to see psychiatrist Dr William Chumley.

But when the doctor mistakenly commits anxiety-ridden Veta instead of her brother, it sets off an hilarious whirlwind of confusion and chaos as everyone tries to catch a man and his invisible rabbit.

This new production of Harvey is produced by Don Gregory, who produced the play on Broadway in 2012 with Jim Parsons as Elwood P. Dowd.

He also produced a television version of Harvey with Leslie Nielsen in 1998.

Don Gregory’s other Broadway productions include the recent highly acclaimed production of The Belle of Amherst with Joely Richardson and the original production of the same play with Julie Harris, My Fair Lady with Rex Harrison, Camelot with Richard Burton, Othello with James Earl Jones and Christopher Plummer and Clarence Darrow with Henry Fonda.

Harvey premiered on Broadway in 1944, winning writer Mary Chase the Pulitzer Prize for Drama the following year.

The production was directed by Antoinette Perry, after whom the Tony Awards are named.

The play premiered in London in 1949 at the Prince of Wales Theatre.

In 1950, Mary Chase adapted her play for the big screen, with James Stewart in the role of Elwood P. Dowd.

James Stewart went on to star in the Broadway and London revivals of the stage play – in 1970 with Helen Hayes on Broadway and in 1975 with Mona Washbourne at the Prince of Wales Theatre.

Harvey will be directed by Lindsay Posner and designed by Peter McKintosh, with lighting by Howard Harrison and sound by Paul Groothuis.

It will play until Saturday, February 28 with shows at 7.30pm and 2.30pm matinees on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Tickets, costing from £19.60 to £36.40 are available by calling 01684 892277 or emailing malvern-theatres.co.uk/events/event/harvey.