Broderick to Star in Roundabout's Philanthropist Revival in 2009

By Andrew Gans
October 6, 2008

Two-time Tony winner Matthew Broderick, most recently on Broadway in the revival of Neil Simon's The Odd Couple, will return to The Great White Way in 2009 in the Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of The Philanthropist.

Broderick will play college professor Philip in the revival of Christopher Hampton's comedy. No other casting has been announced.

The production will begin previews April 10, 2009, at the American Airlines Theatre with an official opening scheduled for April 26, 2009. David Grindley will direct.

Written as a response to Molière's The Misanthrope, press notes state, "Hampton's biting bourgeois comedy examines the empty, insular lives of college intellectuals. At the center of the story is Philip (Broderick), a professor who seems almost absurdly removed from the political turmoil surrounding him, including the assassination of the Prime Minister and his cabinet."

The Philanthropist was previously seen on Broadway in 1971. Alec McCowen, Jane Asher and Victor Spinetti starred in the 64-performance run.

Matthew Broderick received Tony Awards for his performances in Brighton Beach Memoirs and the revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. He was also Tony-nominated for his work in The Producers, and his other theatre credits include The Odd Couple, Biloxi Blues, Night Must Fall, Taller Than a Dwarf, On Valentine's Day, Torch Song Trilogy and The Widow Claire.

Tickets will be available in spring 2009 by phone at (212) 719-1300, online at www.roundabouttheatre.org or at the American Airlines Theatre box office (227 West 42nd Street).