Thurgood, Starring Laurence Fishburne, Debuts on HBO Feb. 24

By Andrew Gans
24 Feb 2011

Laurence Fishburne in Thurgood
Laurence Fishburne in Thurgood
Photo by Carol Rosegg/HBO

Thurgood — the one-man show based on the life of the late Civil Rights great and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall starring Tony winner Laurence Fishburne — debuts on HBO Feb. 24.

Filmed in front of a live audience at the Kennedy Center's Eisenhower Theater in Washington, DC, the play will debut at 9 PM ET; check local listings.

Thurgood was written by Academy Award and Emmy Award winner George Stevens, Jr.; directed by Emmy Award winner Michael Stevens; and executive produced by Bill Haber.

Encore presentations are scheduled for Feb. 24 at 3:55 AM and Feb. 27 at 11:45 AM. The play will also be available On Demand beginning Feb. 25

Thurgood, according to HBO, "is a compelling present-tense narration revisiting the turning points in his life and career as he remembers them. Recalling childhood stories of his family and home life in Baltimore, to his college days in North Carolina as an aspiring lawyer, Marshall recollects his triumphs over adversity to pursue a successful career in the judicial system fighting for human rights. Establishing benchmarks in Civil Rights advancement, Marshall tried the historic case of Brown vs. Board of Education before the Supreme Court, successfully challenging the unconstitutional segregation of black and white students in public schools. His achievements eventually led him to become the first African-American to serve as a Supreme Court Justice."

Thurgood ended its extended limited engagement at Broadway's Booth Theatre Aug. 17, 2008. Leonard Foglia directed the Broadway production.

The Broadway production featured scenic design by Allen Moyer, costume design by Jane Greenwood, lighting design by Brian Nason, projection design by Elaine J. McCarthy and sound design by Ryan Rumery. Marti McIntosh was the production stage manager.

Fishburne won Tony, Drama Desk and Theatre World Awards for his performance in Two Trains Running, and he was also seen on Broadway in the revival of The Lion in Winter. The actor is well known for his work in such movies as "The Matrix" trilogy, "Mission: Impossible III," "Assault on Precinct 13," "Miss Evers' Boys," "The Tuskegee Airmen," "The Color Purple," "The Cotton Club" and "Apocalypse Now," among others.

Fishburne was Tony-nominated for his work in Thurgood. Read Playbill.com's recent Stage to Screens interview with George Stevens, Jr.