The Columnist: John Lithgow to star

John Lithgow (3rd Rock from the Sun) will star in Manhattan Theatre Club's (MTC) world premiere of The Columnist by Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winner David Auburn, directed by Daniel Sullivan.

The Columnist will open at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on 25 Apr 2012, following previews from 3 Apr 2012, and play a limited engagement through to 3 Jun 2012.

The Columnist: Columnists are kings in midcentury America and Joseph Alsop (John Lithgow) wears the crown. Joe is beloved, feared and courted in equal measure by the Washington political world at whose center he sits. But as the '60s dawn and America undergoes dizzying change, the intense political drama Joe is embroiled in becomes deeply personal as well.

Additional casting, creative team, and other listings information for the world premiere of The Columnist will be announced in the coming weeks.

Tickets will go on sale to the general public on 6 Sep 2012.

Bios:

David Auburn (Playwright) plays include 'The New York Idea' (adaptation; Atlantic Theater), 'Proof' (Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award), and 'Skyscraper.' Films include "The Girl in the Park" (writer/director) and "The Lake House."

Daniel Sullivan (Director). For the Public Theater, Sullivan directed 'All's Well That Ends Well,' 'The Merchant of Venice' with Al Pacino,' Twelfth Night' with Anne Hathaway, 'A Midsummer Night's Dream,' 'Stuff Happens' and 'The Merry Wives of Windsor.' Among his Broadway credits are 'Good People,' 'Time Stands Still,' 'Accent on Youth,' 'The Homecoming,' 'Prelude to a Kiss,' 'Rabbit Hole,' 'After the Night and the Music,' 'Julius Caesar,' 'Brooklyn Boy,' 'Sight Unseen,' 'I'm Not Rappaport,' 'Morning's at Seven,'' Proof' (Tony Award), the 2000 production of 'A Moon for the Misbegotten,' 'Ah, Wilderness!,' 'The Sisters Rosensweig,' 'Conversations with my Father,' and 'The Heidi Chronicles.' Among his Off-Broadway credits are 'The Night Watcher,' 'Intimate Apparel,' 'Far East,' 'Spinning into Butter,' 'Dinner With Friends,' and 'The Substance of Fire.' From 1981 to 1997, he served as artistic director of Seattle Repertory Theatre.

John Lithgow's (Joseph Alsop) many Broadway credits include'All My Sons,' 'Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,' 'The Retreat From Moscow' 'The Play What I Wrote,' 'Sweet Small of Success' (Tony Award), 'M. Butterfly,' 'The Front Page,' 'Requiem for a Heavyweight,' 'Beyond Therapy,' 'The Changing Room' (Tony Award).' Lithgow won three Emmy Awards for his performance as 'Dick Solomon' on the hit NBC comedy series '3rd Rock From The Sun.' His many film credits include two back-to-back Oscar nominations for the films 'The World According To Garp' and 'Terms of Endearment.' He is also the author of eight New York Times best selling children's pictures books.