Jayne Houdyshell

Jayne Houdysell will star in MCC Theater's Relevance

Tony Award winner Jayne Houdyshell has been cast in JC Lee's world premiere Relevance at the Lucille Lortel Theatre.

Tom Millward
Tom Millward

MCC Theater has announced that Tony Award winner Jayne Houdyshell will star in the world premiere of Relevance, written by JC Lee and directed by Tony Award nominee Liesl Tommy. As previously announced, previews begin on February 1, 2018 at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, before an official opening on February 20 and a limited run through to March 11, 2018.

Jayne Houdyshell previously starred in the title role of MCC Theater's 2009 production of Coraline, for which she received Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel Award nominations. She won a Tony Award in 2016 for her performance in The Humans, and also earned Tony Award nominations for A Doll's House, Part 2 (2017), Follies (2012), and Well (2006). Her other Broadway credits include Fish in the Dark, Romeo and Juliet, Dead Accounts, The Importance of Being Earnest, Bye Bye Birdie, and Wicked.

Synopsis: "Theresa Hanneck is a celebrated author and veteran feminist warrior; Msemaji Ukweli is a promising young writer who is quickly becoming the leading cultural critic on race, class, and gender for a new generation. When a heated exchange between the two women goes viral, Theresa finds herself ill-equipped to manage her message in the era of 140 character tweets-especially against a rival whose time may have come. A collision of ideals within the feminist movement propels this riveting drama from breathless start to surprising finish."

The creative team behind Relevance features scenic design by Tony Award winner Clint Ramos, costume design by Jacob A. Climer, lighting design by Jiyoun Chang, sound design by Broken Chord, and projection design by Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew.

Additional casting will be announced at a later date.

Originally published on

Subscribe to our newsletter to unlock exclusive New York theatre updates!

Special offers, reviews and release dates for the best shows in town.

You can unsubscribe at any time. Privacy Policy