Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh, starring Kevin Spacey, begins previews at the Brooks Atkinson, March 29, 1999 for an April 8, 1999 opening. Robert Sean Leonard will co-star in Eugene O'Neill's drama, a Boneau/Bryan-Brown spokesperson confirmed (Nov. 2).

Leonard has made numerous appearances at The Roundabout including You Never Can Tell, Philadelphia, Here I Come! and Candida. Other Broadway appearance include: Arcadia, The Speed of Darkness, Breaking the Code, and Brighton Beach Memoirs. Leonard first came to national attention in the film Dead Poet's Society, starring Robin Williams.

In London, the hit drama opened at the Old Vic on June 19 for a run through Aug. 1, 1998. The Almeida Theatre production, directed by Howard Davies (Almeida's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? ), was greeted with ecstatic reviews and sold-out performances upon opening.

Though the entire ensemble received rave reviews in London, it's undecided whether the London cast (other than Spacey) will be replaced by American actors due to Actors' Equity stipulations for both Britain and the U.S.

The Iceman Cometh concerns the deluded pipe dreams of characters at Harry Hope's saloon who are confronted by Hickey (Spacey), a man who has broken free of his dreams and seeks to lead the others to do the same. Things come undone, however, when the reason for Hickey's transformation becomes known. The Iceman Cometh is the third, star-studded Almeida production to enjoy a West End run this season. Having opened Apr. 2, it followed David Hare's The Judas Kiss, starring Liam Neeson, and Pirandello's Naked, with Juliette Binoche.

Although best-known for his work in films such as "The Usual Suspects," for which he won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, "Seven" and "L.A. Confidential," Kevin Spacey's theatre credits are numerous. Broadway appearances have included Ibsen's Ghosts, O'Neill's Long Day's Journey Into Night and Neil Simon's Lost in Yonkers, for which he won a Tony award in 1991.