Complete casting has been revealed for Ohio State Murders on Broadway, set to begin at the newly renamed James Earl Jones Theatre November 11 ahead of a December 8 opening night. The cast begins rehearsals October 17 under the direction of Kenny Leon.
As previously announced, the production will be led by six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald, along with Tony nominee Bryce Pinkham (A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder) and Drama Desk nominee Lizan Mitchell (On Sugarland). Newly joining the company are Mister Fitzgerald, Abigail Stephenson, Brett Diggs, Brooke Gardner, Christian Pedersen, and Gayle Samuels
Leon's creative team will include scenic designer Beowulf Boritt, lighting designer Allen Lee Hughes, costume designer Dede Ayite, sound designer Justin Ellington, and projection designer Jeff Sugg. Wigs, hair, and make-up design are by J. Jared Janas, and original music is by Dwight Andrews. The production has been cast by Caparelliotis Casting.
In Ohio State Murders writer Suzanne Alexander (McDonald) returns to her alma mater as a guest speaker to explore the violence in her works, and a dark mystery unravels. The suspense play also offers a look at the destructiveness of racism in our society. The work debuted March 7, 1992, at the Great Lakes Theater Festival. Theatre for a New Audience premiered the play Off-Broadway at The Duke on 42nd Street in October 2007. The Broadway run isn’t the first time McDonald and Leon have tackled Kennedy’s work, both having collaborated on a digital reading of the play that previously aired as part of Broadway’s Best Shows’ Spotlight on Plays series.
The production will mark the Broadway playwriting debut for 91-year-old Obie Lifetime Achievement Award winner and Theater Hall of Fame inductee Kennedy, who was awarded the Gold Medal for Drama from the Academy of Arts and Letters earlier this year. Her previous plays include Funnyhouse of a Negro (Obie Award), June and Jean in Concert (Obie Award), and Sleep Deprivation Chamber, co-authored with son Adam Kennedy (Obie Award).
Ohio State Murders is produced by Jeffrey Richards, Lincoln Center Theater, Rebecca Gold, Jayne Baron Sherman, Hunter Arnold, Kevin Ryan/Lisa Alexander Taylor, Marc David Levine, Sheryl Lee Ralph/Jeremy Lentz, Brad Blume, Robert Boyett, Irene Gandy, John Paterakis, Iris Smith, Willette and Manny S. Klausner, Kayla Greenspan, Marlene and Gary Cohen, Ken and Rande Greiner/Sandy Marshall/Jamie deRoy, Jacob Soroken Porter, Concord Theatricals, John Gore Organization, James L. Nederlander Organization, and The Shubert Organization.
Visit OhioStateMurdersBroadway.com.
