Janney & Hickey to star in Six Degrees of Separation

Seven-time Emmy Award winner Allison Janney and Tony winner John Benjamin Hickey will star as Ouisa & Flan Kittredge in the Broadway revival of John Guare's comic-drama Six Degrees of Separation. Directed by Trip Cullman, the 15-week limited engagement is expected to open in April 2017.

Synopsis: "Inspired by a true story, the play follows the trail of a young black con man, Paul, who insinuates himself into the lives of a wealthy New York couple, Ouisa and Flan Kittredge, saying he knows their son at college. Claiming he's the son of actor Sidney Poitier, Paul tells them he has just been mugged and all his money is gone. Captivated by Paul's intelligence (and the possibility of appearing in his father's new movie), the Kittredges invite him to stay overnight. After finding him in bed with a hustler, their picture of Paul changes, and Ouisa and Flan turn detective trying to piece together the connections that gave him access to their lives. Meanwhile, Paul's cons unexpectedly lead him into darker territory as his lies begin to catch up with him."

Allison Janney and Tony winner John Benjamin Hickey recently appeared together on screen in Netflix's "Tallulah."

Exact dates, additional casting, and creative team information for the Broadway revival will be announced at a later date.

Six Degrees of Separation is produced on Broadway by Stuart Thompson and Tim Levy.

Six Degrees of Separation originally premiered at the Lincoln Center's Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater on 16 May 1990 before transferring to the larger LCT venue the Vivian Beaumont on 8 November 8 1990, picking up a Tony nomination for "Best Play" in 1991 and becoming a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play's subsequent West End transfer won the Olivier Award for "Best New Play" in 1993. Directed by Jerry Zaks, the Broadway premiere starred Stockard Channing, John Cunningham and Courtney B. Vance. Ms. Channing went on to star in the 1993 film adaptation alongside Donald Sutherland and Will Smith.

Allison Janney earned Tony nominations for her previous Broadway outings in 'A View From the Bridge' (1998) and '9 to 5' (2009). She made her Broadway debut in the 1996 revival of 'Present Laughter.' She is perhaps best known for her Emmy-winning TV roles as C. J. Cregg on "The West Wing" and Bonnie in "Mom." Other notable screen credits include "American Beauty," "Juno," "Finding Nemo," "Finding Dory," "Masters of Sex," "Minions," "Spy," "The Help," "The Hours" and "Hairspray."

John Benjamin Hickey won a Tony Award in 2011 for 'The Normal Heart.' Other Broadway credits include 'Mary Stuart,' 'The Crucible,' 'Cabaret,' and 'Love! Valour! Compassion!' He also earned an Emmy nomination in 2013 for "The Big C." Other notable screen credits include "Flags of Our Fathers," "The Bone Collector," "Manhattan," "Infamous," and "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."

- by Tom Millward