Tony winner Daniel Sullivan, who directed Auburn's Proof, directs the new drama, in which Kunken (who was Hal in Proof on Broadway and its national tour) will play David Halberstam, the award-winning journalist; Gummer will play Abigail the daughter of Susan Alsop (Colin) and stepdaughter of Joseph Alsop (Lithgow); and Smith will play Andrei, a young Russian man.

The limited engagement begins rehearsals March 1. Performances will start April 4. Opening is April 25 at MTC's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on West 47th Street.

According to MTC, "Columnists are kings in midcentury America and Joseph Alsop (Tony and Emmy Award winner John Lithgow) wears the crown. Joe is beloved, feared and courted in equal measure by the Washington political world at whose center he sits. But as the '60s dawn and America undergoes dizzying change, the intense political drama Joe is embroiled in becomes deeply personal as well."

Auburn won the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award for Proof, first produced by MTC.

The creative team includes John Lee Beatty (scenic design), Jess Goldstein (costume design), Kenneth Posner (lighting design), John Gromada (original music & sound design), Rocco DiSanti (projection design), and Charles G. LaPointe (hair and wig design).

The Columnist was developed with the support of Tennessee Repertory Theatre through its Ingram New Works Fellowship and Residency.

Tickets are available by calling Telecharge at (212) 239-6200, online by visiting www.Telecharge.com, or by visiting the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre Box Office (261 West 47th Street).

Ticket prices are $57-$116. For more information on MTC, visit www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com.