Tony nominee Jesse Williams visited The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon December 9 to talk about his experience returning to Broadway in Take Me Out; see what he had to say in the video above.

Williams, who was originally Tony nominated for the production when it played the Helen Hayes theatre, has reprised his role for the Schoenfeld Theatre run. Williams stars as baseball star Darren Lemming, center fielder for the Empires, who comes out of the closet, revealing a tradition of long-held unspoken prejudices off the field. Take Me Out premiered on Broadway in 2003, winning the Best Play Tony Award.

Williams shared with Fallon how he overcame his initial hesitation when asked to return to the emotionally grueling role; "I loved it, but it was beating the hell out of me. I got a summer with my kids, and I got to decompress, get some perspective, and it was just still in me. I was running the lines working around the house, and I knew we had more in the tank."

Helmed by Scott Ellis, the Second Stage Theater production was nominated for four 2022 Tony Awards, ultimately winning Best Revival of a Play and Featured Actor in a Play for Jesse Tyler Ferguson. The initial run began March 10 at Second Stage's Hayes Theater, officially opening April 4 and running through June 11.

Ellis reunited his entire creative team, including scenic designer David Rockwell, costume designer Linda Cho, lighting designer Kenneth Posner, and sound designer Bray Poor for the encore engagement. Casting is by Jim Carnahan. The encore run is produced by Barry and Fran Weissler.

The return engagement of the 2022 Tony-winning revival of Richard Greenberg's Take Me Out began performances October 27 at the Schoenfeld Theatre. The limited 14-week run will conclude January 29.

The majority of cast is reprising their roles from Second Stage's spring production including Tony winner Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Tony nominees Jesse Williams and Michael Oberholtzer, Julian Cihi, Hiram Delgado, Brandon J. Dirden, Carl Lundstedt, Ken Marks, Eduardo Ramos, and Tyler Lansing Weaks.

Bill Heck (Cabaret, Brooklyn Boy) joins the company in the role of Kippy, the part created for this revival by Patrick J. Adams. The latter is unable to return to the part due to his role in the CBC original series Plan B.

Understudies for the return engagement include Michael Castillejos, Lance Takeshi, Stephen Wattrus, and Tim Wright.

The production, which features full-frontal male nudity, will continue requiring the use of Yondr pouches, into which audience members' phones are placed and locked for the duration of the performance, all while still in guests' own possession. The pouches are then unlocked and collected by staff at the end of the show. Visit OverYondr.com. 

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See Production Photos of Bill Heck, Jesse Williams, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson in Take Me Out

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