Hawkins has been cast in the role of Paul, the young con man whose trail of deceit lies at the heart of the play.
Producer Stuart Thompson previously announced that Guare’s award-winning work, which made its New York premiere in 1990, will return to Broadway this spring at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre.
Trip Cullman (Significant Other, Punk Rock) will direct the production, which will begin previews April 5, 2017, prior to an official opening April 25. The limited engagement will run 15 weeks through July 16. Tickets are available by calling Telecharge at (212) 239-6200, online at Telecharge.com, and in person at the Barrymore Theatre box office (243 West 47th Street).
The cast will be headed by seven-time Emmy Award winner Janney (Mom, The Girl on the Train) as Ouisa and Tony Award winner Hickey (The Normal Heart, Manhattan) as Flan.
The design team will include Mark Wendland (sets), Ben Stanton (lighting), and Darron L West (sound).
Corey Hawkins first gained recognition with his breakout performance as music producer and hip-hop legend Dr. Dre in F. Gary Gray’s N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton. In 2015, Hawkins joined the cast of the AMC hit show The Walking Dead as Heath. Hawkins’ film credits include Universal Pictures’ Non-Stop as well as Winter’s Tale for Warner Bros., and Marvel Studios’ Iron Man 3. On stage, Hawkins starred on Broadway as Tybalt in David Leveaux’s revival of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, opposite Orlando Bloom and Condola Rashad. He also starred in Hurt Village at Signature Theatre and Suicide Incorporated at Roundabout.
Inspired by a true story, the play, according to press notes, “follows the trail of a young black con man, Paul (Hawkins), who insinuates himself into the lives of a wealthy New York couple, Ouisa and Flan Kittredge (Janney and Hickey), saying he knows their son at college. Claiming he’s the son of actor Sidney Poitier, Paul tells them he has just been mugged and all his money is gone. Captivated by Paul's intelligence (and the possibility of appearing in his father’s new movie), the Kittredges invite him to stay overnight. After finding him in bed with a hustler, their picture of Paul changes, and Ouisa and Flan turn detective trying to piece together the connections that gave him access to their lives. Meanwhile, Paul's cons unexpectedly lead him into darker territory as his lies begin to catch up with him.”
Six Degrees of Separation premiered Off-Broadway at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater May 16, 1990, before moving to the Vivian Beaumont Theater November 8, 1990. The play received the 1991 New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play, an Obie Award for the playwright, and the 1993 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play. It was a finalist for the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and received a Tony Award nomination for Best Play. The original Broadway cast featured Stockard Channing as
Ouisa,
John Cunningham as
Flan,
Courtney B. Vance as
Paul, and
Kelly Bishop as
Kitty.
Hickey won the 2011 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play and a Drama Desk Award for his performance in The Normal Heart. His other credits include Mary Stuart, The Crucible, Cabaret, and Love! Valour! Compassion!, for which he won an Obie Award. Earlier this year, he was back onstage in Peter Parnell’s Dada Woof Papa Hot at Lincoln Center for director Scott Ellis.
Guare’s plays include Landscape of the Body, A Free Man Of Color (Pulitzer Prize finalist), House of Blue Leaves (Obie/NY Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play), Six Degrees of Separation (Obie/NY Drama Critics Circle Award, London's Olivier Award for Best Play), Two Gentlemen of Verona (NY Drama Critics Circle Award, Tony Award for Best Musical), Muzeeka (Obie), Sweet Smell of Success (Tony nomination for Best Book of a Musical), and Lydie Breeze.
The Broadway revival is produced by Stuart Thompson and Tim Levy.
Ticket information and additional casting will be announced shortly.
