James Earl Jones & Cicely Tyson to star in The Gin Game

Tony-winning Broadway veterans James Earl Jones and Cicely Tyson will appear together on Broadway for the first time in nearly fifty years in a new production of D.L. Coburn's Pulitzer Prize-winning play The Gin Game. Directed by Leonard Foglia, previews will begin at the John Golden Theatre on 21 September 2015, before an official opening on 13 October 2015.

Synopsis: "Weller Martin (James Earl Jones) and Fonsia Dorsey (Cicely Tyson) meet on the porch of their nursing home and strike up a friendship, with Weller teaching Fonsia how to play gin rummy. As they play, they share stories about the lives they led in the outside world. But when Fonsia wins every hand, Weller becomes increasingly frustrated, until their gin games and conversations become a battleground, with each player exposing the other's failures, disappointments and insecurities."

The Gin Game is produced by OSTAR Productions.

Complete creative team will be announced at a later date.

The last time these actors appeared together on Broadway was in 1966 in 'A Hand Is On The Gate' at the Longacre Theatre. They also worked together in the off-Broadway production of 'The Blacks' by Jean Genet, and on screen in 'The River Niger' and 'Heat Wave.'

James Earl Jones is a veteran to the Broadway stage and won Tony Awards for Best Actor in a Play for 'The Great White Hope' (1969) and 'Fences' (1987). He was also nominated in the same category for his performances in 'On Golden Pond' (2005) and 'Gore Vidal's The Best Man' (2012) and nominated for an Olivier Award for his role in 'A Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' in London's West End. He was last seen on Broadway in 'You Can't Take It With You' at the Longacre Theatre, which concluded its run on 22 February 2015. His other Broadway credits include 'Driving Miss Daisy' (2010), 'Othello' (1982), 'Of Mice and Men' (1974), 'The Iceman Cometh' (1973) and his Broadway debut 'Sunrise at Campobello' (1958), amongst many others. He is also widely known for his film work and earned a lifetime achievement Oscar for films such as 'Conan the Barbarian', 'Coming to America' and 'Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb', or his voice work as Darth Vader in 'Star Wars' and Mufasa in 'The Lion King.'

Cicely Tyson is a stage, film and TV actress who is known for her Oscar-nominated role in the film 'Sounder' and Emmy nominated roles in 'The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman' and 'Roots.' Tyson won an Emmy award for 'Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All,' and was also nominated for Emmys for her roles in 'King,' 'Hallmark Hall of Fame,' 'Sweet Justice,' 'A Lesson Before Dying' and 'Relative Stranger.' She last appeared on Broadway in 'The Trip to Bountiful' in 2013, for which she picked up her first Tony Award. Other Broadway credits include 'The Corn Is Green' (1983), 'Trumpets of the Lord' (1969), 'Carry Me Back to Morningside Heights' (1968), 'A Hand Is on the Gate' (1966), 'Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright' (1962) and 'The Cool World' (1960).

- by Tom Millward