The Manhattan Theatre Club production will also feature the previously announced Craig Bierko (The Music Man) and Jan Maxwell (Coram Boy, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) with Peter Benson (The Pajama Game), Steve Kazee (Monty Python's Spamalot), Michael McCarty (Mary Poppins), Kristine Nielsen (Les Liaisons Dangereuses, MTC's Our Leading Lady), Brandon Perler (Broadway debut), Rocco Sisto (Iphigenia 2.0) and Marina Squerciati (MTC's Beauty of the Father).
Based on the 1942 motion picture, Whitby drew on the Ernst Lubitsch film classic for this project. The production will be directed by three-time Tony Award nominee Casey Nicholaw (The Drowsy Chaperone, Monty Python's Spamalot).
To Be Or Not To Be will officially open at the Biltmore (261 W. 47th Street) Oct. 2.
According to MTC, "At the Polski Theatre in 1939 Warsaw, Joseph (Bierko) and Maria Tura (Maxwell) are about to open yet another smash with their theatrical troupe. As the German invasion gets underway, the theatre is closed by the censors, forcing the troupe to face desperate times. But when a handsome young bomber pilot enlists their help to catch a spy, what is a group of actors to do? This hilarious black comedy is an ingenious commentary on the World War II era and an inspired tribute to the timeless joys of the theatre."
Murray will play the role of Dowasz, a member of the Polski Theatre troupe. Complete casting will be announced in the coming weeks. The creative team includes Anna Louizos (scenic design), Gregg Barnes (costume design), Howell Binkley (lighting design), Darron L West (sound design) and Josh Marquette (hair design).
Brian Murray received Tony nominations for his performances in The Crucible, The Little Foxes and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. His other Broadway credits include The Rivals, Uncle Vanya, Twelfth Night, Racing Demon, White Liars & Black Comedy, The Show Off, A Small Family Business, The Circle, Blithe Spirit, Arsenic and Old Lace, Hay Fever, Noises Off, Da, The Waltz of the Toreadors, Sleuth and All in Good Time.
Single tickets will be available at a later date. For more information visit www.manhattantheatreclub.com.
