Stephen Payne

Stephen Payne to star in Broadway's Straight White Men

Stephen Payne assumes the role of Ed in Young Jean Lee's Straight White Men, as Denis Arndt exits the production.

Georgina Varley
Georgina Varley

Understudy Stephen Payne has assumed the role of Ed in the Broadway premiere of Young Jean Lee's Straight White Men, replacing Tony Award nominee Denis Arndt as Ed. Mr. Arndt has left the production due to "creative differences." The show is currently in previews at the Hayes Theater on Broadway, playing a limited run until September 9, 2018. Anna D. Shapiro directs the production.

This news comes just two weeks after it was announced that Mr. Arndt would be replacing Tom Skerritt, who left the show for "personal reasons". The first preview performance was subsequently postponed

Stephen Payne has appeared on Broadway in Of Mice And Men, Superior Donuts and August: Osage County. His other theater credits include Edward Albee's Me Myself & I (Playwrights Horizons), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Paper Mill Playhouse & McCarter Theater), John Patrick Stanley's Sailor's Song (Public Theater), Wings Of Desire (American Repertory Theater), Bus Stop (Old Globe) and Boy Gets Girl (Seattle Rep). His most notable screen appearances include 'Law & Order: SVU', 'Girls' and 'Divorce'. He joins cast members Armie Hammer, Josh Charles, Paul Schneider, Kate Bornstein and Ty Defoe, who are all currently making their Broadway debuts.

Synopsis: "Straight White Men takes place on Christmas Eve. Ed has gathered his three adult sons to celebrate with matching pajamas, trash-talking, and Chinese takeout. But when a question they can't answer interrupts their holiday cheer, they are forced to confront their own identities."

The creative team features scenic design by Todd Rosenthal, costume design by Suttirat Larlab, lighting design by Donald Holder, sound design by M.L. Dogg and choreography by Faye
Driscoll.

Young Jean Lee makes history with the Second Stage Theater production of Straight White Men as the first female Asian-American playwright to ever be produced on Broadway.

Straight White Men Tickets are available now for performances through to September 9, 2018.

Originally published on

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