Two-time Tony Award nominee, Emmy Award and Golden Globe winner Alan Rickman is making his eagerly-anticipated return to Broadway starring in the World Premiere of SEMINAR, a new comedy by Pulitzer Prize finalist and Peabody Award winner Theresa Rebeck. The show opened on Broadway last week, Sunday, November 20th and Broadway Beat was inside the after party to chat with the company!
Directed by acclaimed Obie Award winner Sam Gold in his Broadway debut, the production also stars Tony Award nominee Lily Rabe, Obie Award winner Hamish Linklater, film and television star Jerry O'Connell in his Broadway debut and actress Hettienne Park.
The show is produced by Jeffrey Finn, Jill Furman, John N. Hart Jr., Patrick Milling Smith, Roy Furman, David Ian, David Mirvish, Amy Nauiokas and James Spry.
In SEMINAR, four aspiring young novelists (Ms. Rabe, Mr. Linklater, Mr. O'Connell and Ms. Park) sign up for private writing classes with Leonard (Mr. Rickman), an international literary figure. Under his recklessly brilliant and unorthodox instruction, some thrive and others flounder, alliances are made and broken, sex is used as a weapon and hearts are unmoored. The wordplay is not the only thing that turns vicious as innocence collides with experience in this provocative new comedy.
The production features set and costume design by Tony Award nominee and two-time Obie Award winner David Zinn, lighting design by Drama Desk Award nominee Ben Stanton and original music and sound design by two-time Drama Desk Award winner John Gromada.
An internationally-renowned actor of stage, screen and television, Alan Rickman returns to the Broadway stage for the first time since being nominated for a Tony Award for his acclaimed starring performance as Elyot in the 2002 production of Noel Coward's Private Lives. He previously made his Broadway debut and earned his first Tony Award nomination as Valmont in the 1987 U.S. premiere production of Les Liasions Dangereuses. On film, he is perhaps best known for his iconic performances as Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter franchise and Hans Gruber in the 1988 hit Die Hard, as well as award-winning roles in such films as Sense and Sensibility and, more recently, Sweeney Todd and Bottle Shock.
The performance schedule for SEMINAR during previews is Monday through Saturday evenings at 8PM and Wednesday and Saturday matinees at 2PM during previews (please check for holiday week variances). After the November 20 opening, the performance schedule will be Tuesday through Thursday evenings at 7PM, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8PM, Wednesday and Saturday matinees at 2PM and Sunday matinees at 3PM.
