Broadway NewsJoshua Jackson and Lauren Ridloff Will Make Their Broadway Debuts in Children of a Lesser GodThe Kenny Leon-helmed revival from Berkshire Theater Group will play Studio 54 in 2018.
By
Ryan McPhee
August 15, 2017
Lauren Ridloff and Joshua Jackson
Guzman
Mark Medoff’s Tony-winning Children of a Lesser God will return to Broadway as part of the 2017–2018 season. Joshua Jackson and Lauren Ridloff will make their Broadway debuts in the Kenny Leon-helmed production, which begins performances March 22, 2018 at Studio 54 prior to an April 11 official opening night.
Joshua Jackson and Lauren Ridloff in Children of a Lesser God at Berkshire Theatre Group
Matthew Murphy
The production premiered at Berkshire Theatre Group earlier this summer. Hal Luftig, who had been attached to the production since its initial announcement in 2014, remains on board as producer.
Jackson takes on the role of James Leeds, a teacher at a school for the Deaf who encounters Sarah Norman (Ridloff), a young deaf woman who is hesitant to integrate herself into the hearing world, despite his insistence.
The part of Sarah won Phyllis Frelich a Tony Award for the 1980 Broadway production and Marlee Matlin an Oscar for the 1986 film adaptation.
Jackson is perhaps best known for his performance on the Showtime series The Affair, as well as for portraying Pacey Witter on Dawson's Creek. His additional credits include Fringe, Shutter, and Lay the Favorite. Although this will mark his Broadway debut, he has appeared on the West End stage in A Life in the Theatre and Off-Broadway in Smart People.
Ridloff, a former Miss Deaf America, recently appeared in the Todd Haynes film Wonderstruck and the music video for John Legend's "Love Me Now."
Additional casting will be announced at a later date.
“At its essence, this is a poignant and profound love story,” Leon said in a statement. “Ever since these characters, Sarah Norman and James Leeds, first entered the public consciousness, we’ve been fascinated by their relationship to each other and the world around them. I think our appreciation for what Mark created with this play has only deepened with time.”
Lupita Nyong'o, Katrina Lenk, Jelani Alladin, and more were on hand to celebrate the October 31 opening night of Michael R. Jackson and Anna K. Jacobs' new musical.
