Jessica Chastain to star in new Broadway play Lost Lear

Actor Jessica Chastain is coming back to Broadway to star in a new play called "Lost Lear," which offers a fresh, meta take on Shakespeare's classic work "King Lear."

The Cast and Plot

Chastain was last seen on Broadway in the 2023 revival of Henrik Ibsen's drama "A Doll's House," but this marks her first time acting in a brand-new show on the stage. In "Lost Lear," she plays Joy, a middle-aged former actor dealing with early onset dementia whose only clear memory is acting in the Shakespeare play. She stars alongside Corey Stoll, who plays her estranged son Conor, and Michael Urie, who plays her nurse at the care home. Dan Colley wrote the play and will direct it, marking his Broadway debut.

Schedule and History

The limited engagement play runs for 16 weeks at the Booth Theatre. Previews start on March 29, 2027, with the official opening night set for April 23. The show was first made and performed in Ireland in 2022 and has since toured parts of the U.S., New Zealand, the U.K., Poland, and Scotland. Playwright Dan Colley expressed his excitement about bringing the work to New York audiences after its international run.

Context

Broadway is the famous theater district in New York City that hosts major commercial theatrical productions. Many actors known primarily for film and television regularly return to the stage for limited runs in new plays or classic revivals.