The Whipping Man to star Andre Braugher

Emmy Award winner Andre Braugher will star in Manhattan Theatre Club's upcoming New York premiere of Matthew Lopez's historical drama The Whipping Man, directed by Tony Award winner Doug Hughes.

The Whipping Man opens at NY City Center Stage I on 1 Feb 2011, following previews from 13 Jan and runs through to 13 Mar 2011.

Braugher earned two Emmy Awards: in 1998 for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama for his performance in "Homicide: Life on the Streets" and in 2006 for his starring role in the miniseries "Thief." In 2010, he received his sixth Emmy nomination for the hit series "Men of a Certain Age" which will return for its second season 6 Dec 2010 on TNT.

On stage, Braugher received an Obie Award for his performance in the 1996 Shakespeare in the Park production of 'Henry V.' Other New York stage credits include: 'Hamlet,' 'The Tragedy of Richard II,' 'Measure for Measure' and 'Twelfth Night.'

The Whipping Man: April, 1865: the Civil War has ended. Caleb DeLeon, a Jewish Confederate soldier, returns wounded from the battlefield to find his family home in ruins, abandoned by everyone except Simon (Braugher) and John -two former slaves, who were raised as Jews in the DeLeon home. As the three men reunite to celebrate Passover, and recall the exodus from Egypt in light of their own new liberties, they uncover a tangle of secrets... ties that bind them together and that, ultimately, might cost each man his freedom.

Additional casting and other listings information for this limited engagement will be announced in the coming weeks.

The creative team for The Whipping Man features: John Lee Beatty (scenic design), Catherine Zuber (costume design), Ben Stanton (lighting design) and Jill BC DuBoff (sound design).