The new play, according to the New York Post, concerns the late political columnist Joseph Alsop, whose newspaper column appeared in hundreds of papers and wielded great power in the mid-1900s.

Auburn's play deals with an incident with the Soviets, who tried to blackmail the closeted Alsop in 1957 after photographing him with a young Russian man in Alsop's hotel room. The play, according to the New York daily, also examines "the power of the press and insider Washington politics."

The reading was directed by Daniel Sullivan. Kline has yet to commit to a production of The Columnist, and MTC has not announced performance dates.

Kline's numerous stage roles include The Pirates of Penzance, On the Twentieth Century, The Robber Bridegroom, Ivanov, Henry IV and Cyrano. He earned an Oscar for "A Fish Called Wanda." Among his films are "In & Out," "Sophie's Choice," "The Big Chill," "De-Lovely" and "Soapdish."

Auburn earned the 2001 Tony and Pulitzer Prize for his play Proof, which also earned a Best Actress Tony Award for its star Mary Louise Parker. The play was later adapted into a 2005 film of the same title starring Gwyneth Paltrow. Auburn made his film directorial debut with his screenplay for "The Girl in the Park" and also penned the screenplay for "The Lake House."