The Broadway revival of Mark Medoff’s Tony Award-winning drama Children of a Lesser God, co-starring Joshua Jackson (The Affair, Dawson’s Creek) and Lauren Ridloff (Wonderstruck), officially opens April 11 at Studio 54.
Jackson and Ridloff are joined by Emmy Award winner Anthony Edwards (ER), Kecia Lewis, Julee Cerda, Treshelle Edmond, and John McGinty.
Tony Award winner Kenny Leon (A Raisin in the Sun, Fences) directs the first-ever Broadway revival of the play that dramatizes the relationship between a teacher at a school for the Deaf, and a young woman he meets there. The landmark play, which challenges long held misconceptions about Deaf culture and the essence of communication, won the 1980 Tony Award for Best Play.
Read reviews for the revival below. Playbill will continue to update throughout the evening.
Broadway News (Elizabeth Bradley)
The Chicago Tribune (Chris Jones)
Entertainment Weekly (Breanne L. Heldman)
The Hollywood Reporter (David Rooney)
NY Daily News (Joe Dziemianowicz)
New York Magazine (Boris Kachka)
Time Out New York (Adam Feldman)
The noteworthy revival of Children of a Lesser God is billed as the most accessible production in Broadway history with the incorporation of new technology and creative design elements to make the play accessible to Deaf and hard of hearing audiences. Supertitles of Medoff’s dialogue have been seamlessly incorporated into Derek McLane’s scenic design, while closed captioning is also available through the GalaPro app on Apple and Android devices. Audience members must first download the GalaPro app and then download the Children of a Lesser God app upon arriving at Studio 54. Visit GalaPrompter.com.
In addition, American Sign Language interpreters will be present at select performances. Click here for the complete schedule.
The late Phyllis Frelich won the Tony Award for creating the role of Sarah Norman in the original 1980 production of Children of a Lesser God. Medoff wrote the role for the actor, drawing directly on her life for material—meeting her hearing husband, and examining the difficulties and challenges inherent in their union. Following its Broadway success, the play was adapted into a motion picture, receiving five Academy Award nominations and earning Marlee Matlin the 1987 Academy Award for Best Actress.
The revival arrives on Broadway following a regional premiere at the Berkshire Theatre Festival last summer.
The creative team includes Dede Ayite (costume design), Mike Baldassari (lighting design), Jill BC Du Boff (sound design), Branford Marsalis (original music), and Alexandria Wailes (director of artistic sign language). Casting for the production is by Telsey + Company.
The producing team is led by Hal Luftig, and includes LHC Theatrical Development, Craig Haffner & Sherry Wright, Yasuhiro Kawana, James L. Nederlander, Rodney Rigby, Albert Nocciolino/Independent Presenters Network, Blue Fog Productions, Suzanne L. Niedland, The Shubert Organization, Jhett Tolentino, Steve & Paula Reynolds, and Roundabout Theatre Company. Tamar Climan serves as executive producer and Sandy Block as associate producer. Model, actor, and Deaf activist Nyle DiMarco is making his Broadway debut as a co-producer on the production.
