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Jessica Chastain to Star in Broadway Play 'Lost Lear'
Confirmed
In Short: Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Emmy Award nominee Jessica Chastain will return to the Broadway stage for 16 weeks in 'Lost Lear,' a new play by playwright and director Dan Colley.
Jessica Chastain (Wikidata P18).
Chastain will be joined by Golden Globe nominee Corey Stoll and Emmy nominee Michael Urie, who will play supporting roles in the production.
Chastain's character, Joy, a former actress, is convinced she is in rehearsal for King Lear, while her nurse, played by Urie, steps into various roles to support her.
Stoll will play Joy's estranged son, who is drawn into playing Cordelia, adding depth to the meta narrative of the play.
Dan Colley, known for his work in Irish theater, will make his Broadway debut as both the writer and director of 'Lost Lear.'
Chastain's return to Broadway follows her Tony Award-nominated and Drama Desk-winning performance as Nora Helmer in 'A Doll’s House' in 2023.
This will be Chastain's first time creating a role in a brand-new Broadway play, marking a significant milestone in her career.
The Booth Theatre, where 'Lost Lear' will be performed, is one of the most intimate spaces on Broadway, providing a unique setting for the production.
Tickets for 'Lost Lear' are expected to be in high demand, given Chastain's star power and the intriguing premise of the play.
What this adds
The play was first workshopped and performed in Ireland in 2022, and has since been staged in various parts of the world, including New Zealand, the U.S., the U.K., Poland, and Scotland.
Chastain's character, Joy, is a former actress living with dementia who believes she is rehearsing for King Lear, while her nurse, Liam, is willing to play any role she needs.
The play's meta narrative and Chastain's performance are expected to draw significant attention from theatergoers and critics alike.
Background
Lost Lear is a dramatic stage play written by Irish playwright Dan Colley.
What's confirmed
- BroadwayWorld has just learned that Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Actor Award winner and Tony Award and Emmy Award nominee Jessica Chastain will return to the Broadway stage for 16 weeks in Lost Lear, a new play by playwright Dan Colley.
- Academy Award® winner Jessica Chastain returns to Broadway alongside Golden Globe® nominee Corey Stoll and Emmy® Award nominee Michael Urie in Lost Lear, a deeply moving, astonishingly imaginative new play that marks the Broadway debut of writer-director Dan Colley.
- As her grip on the present slips, Joy (Chastain), a former actress, is certain she’s back in rehearsal for King Lear.
- At her care home, her nurse (Urie) takes his cues from her, stepping into whatever role she needs him to play.
- The design team for Lost Lear includes three-time Tony Award winner Scott Pask (production design), five-time Tony Award nominee Heather Gilbert (lighting design), Tony Award winner Cody Spencer (sound design), Tony Award winner Hana S.
- Oscar winner and Tony nominee Jessica Chastain will return to Broadway this spring for a limited engagement in a new play by Dan Colley titled Lost Lear, with Corey Stoll and Michael Urie costarring.
- Chastain returns to Broadway following her Tony Award-nominated and Drama Desk-winning performance as Nora Helmer in A Doll’s House, directed by Jamie Lloyd, in 2023.
What's still developing
- Chastain won the Academy Award for Best Actress for The Eyes of Tammy Faye, following nominations for The Help and Zero Dark Thirty.
- Joining Jessica in the play will be House of Cards and Ratched actor Corey Stoll and Ugly Betty and Shrinking actor Michael Urie.
- Additional cast members for Lost Lear on Broadway have yet to be announced.
- She previously made her Broadway debut in The Heiress in 2012.
- News of the production was first revealed by Chastain herself, when she was asked about potentially returning to the boards during an interview with Craig Melvin on the Today show on Friday, Nov. 6.
- She played a demonic matriarch in Other Mommy, a country music singer in Heartland, and she just announced a return to Broadway as....King Lear.
- Stoll, a Tony nominee for his work in 2023's Appropriate, has also appeared on Broadway in A View From the Bridge, Old Acquaintance, and Henry IV.
- Stoll, also known for his role as Peter on House Of Cards, among many onscreen appearances, returns to Broadway after being Tony nominated for his role in the 2024 revival of Appropriate.
- Urie, who stars as Brian in Apple TV+’s Shrinking, most recently appeared on Broadway in Oh, Mary!
- The play was first workshopped and performed in Ireland in 2022 and has since been staged in various parts of the world, including New Zealand, the U.S., the U.K., Poland and Scotland.
- Chastain was last on Broadway in “A Doll’s House,” an acclaimed 2023 revival of the Henrik Ibsen drama; this is her first time appearing in a new show.
- The play was first performed in 2022 at the Riverbank Arts Centre, before officially premiering at the Dublin Theatre Festival.