Now that ‘Scandal’ is over, Kerry Washington will be hitting Broadway to star in ‘American Son.’
via Deadline:
Directing will be Kenny Leon, who won a Tony Award for 2014’s “A Raisin in the Sun” starring Denzel Washington. Leon most recently directed the Broadway revival “Children of a Lesser God.”
The play is set in a Florida police station in the middle of the night, with a mother searching for her missing teenage son, and is described by the production as “a gripping tale of two parents caught in our national divide, with their worst fears hanging in the balance.”
Said Kerry Washington, “Christopher Demos-Brown has written a play that dives deep into the big questions of who we are as a nation, by exploring the intimate relationships within a family caught at the crossroads of love, loss, identity and community.
“After reading the script I was immediately enthralled by the world of the play and the gripping circumstances that these characters are facing. I am excited to step into the ring with Kenny and Steve to tell this story on Broadway.”
The production will mark the Broadway premiere of “American Son,” which was commissioned and staged in 2016 by the Berkshire’s Barrington Stage Company. According to a synopsis of the original production, the play focuses on a separated interracial couple who are attempting to locate their missing 18-year-old son, whose empty car was found during a traffic stop.
Barrington’s world premiere staging starred Tamara Tunie (“Law & Order: SVU”) and Michael Hayden (“Murder One”). The play was awarded the 2016 Laurents/Hatcher Award for Best New Play by an Emerging Playwright.
“American Son” will begin performances on Broadway at the Booth Theatre on Saturday, Oct. 6, with an official opening night set for Sunday, Nov. 4.
The production will mark Washington’s return to Broadway after making her debut in David Mamet’s “Race” (2009). She starred in seven seasons ABC’s hit series “Scandal.”
Pasquale returns to Broadway following last year’s starring role in Lincoln Center Theater’s “Junk” and the 2013 musical “Bridges of Madison County.” After his breakthrough role on FX’s “Rescue Me,” he appeared on TV in “American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson,” “The Good Wife” and “Doubt,” among others.
The “American Son” cast will also include Eugene Lee (August Wilson’s “Gem of the Ocean”) as a police lieutenant.
Derek McLane will be the scene designer; Dede Ayite, costume design and Peter Fitzgerald, sound design.
Tickets for ‘American Son’ go on sale June 8.
