The first post-Tony nominations extension is in. Manhattan Theatre Club's Summer, 1976, currently playing Broadway's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, has extended its run for a second time and will now continue through June 18. The production opened April 25—read the reviews here.
The two-hander from David Auburn, a world premiere, stars Laura Linney and Jessica Hecht in a story of an unlikely friendship between artist and single mom Diana (Linney) and naïve housewife Alice (Hecht) who find their own independence against the backdrop of the country's Bicentennial. Linney and Hecht are joined in the company by understudies Judith Lightfoot Clarke and Finnerty Steeves.
Hecht received a 2023 Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play for her work in the production. The nod is Hecht's second and the production's sole nomination.
Auburn and Sullivan previously collaborated on Proof, winner of the 2001 Tony Award for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and on The Columnist. Both shows were also produced by Manhattan Theatre Club under the artistic leadership of Lynne Meadow.
The production features scenic design by John Lee Beatty, costume design by Linda Cho, lighting design by Japhy Weideman, sound design by Jill BC Du Boff, projection design by Hana S. Kim, and original music by Greg Pliska. Casting is by David Caparelliotis and Kelly Gillespie, and James FitzSimmons is production stage manager.
Laura Linney and Jessica Hecht
Laura Linney and Jessica Hecht
Laura Linney and Jessica Hecht
Jessica Hecht and Laura Linney
Jessica Hecht and Laura Linney
