Ayad Akhtar isn’t afraid to face explosive issues head on. In his 2013 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, Disgraced, he confronted the plight of Muslim Americans in a post-9/11 U.S. and questions of identity and justice. The Broadway run of the show was a critical hit, if not a commercial one.
Akhtar follows this up with the world premiere of JUNK: The Golden Age of Debt, currently running through August 21 at California’s La Jolla Playhouse. This time, Akhtar takes on the economy in this thriller about a finance prodigy intent on changing the rules of the deal in the 1980s boardroom. Josh Cooke plays the lead role of Robert Merkin, a junk bond king.
Doug Hughes directs the piece—his most recent Main Stem work was Manhattan Theatre Club’s The Father starring Tony winner Frank Langella.
For tickets and additional information, visit LaJollaPlayhouse.org.
Watch highlights from the Broadway run of Akhtar’s Disgraced:
