SEMINAR to Close on Broadway May 6

SEMINAR, the acclaimed comedy by Pulitzer Prize finalist and Peabody Award winner Theresa Rebeck (Mauritius, The Understudy, Omnium Gatherum, "NYPD Blue," NBC's hit series "Smash") and directed by Obie Award winner Sam Gold (Circle Mirror Transformation, The Big Meal, Look Back in Anger), will play its final Broadway performance in this Sunday's matinee, May 6. The World Premiere production opened on Sunday, November 20, 2011 and will have played a total of 191 performances and 26 previews at The Golden Theatre (252 West 45th Street).

"On behalf of all our producers, it's been an honor and a pleasure to produce Theresa Rebeck's SEMINAR," said lead producer Jeffrey Finn. "We're proud that this production was a World Premiere; the Broadway debut of director Sam Gold; the return to Broadway of Alan Rickman leading a celebrated original cast; and now the return to Broadway of Jeff Goldblum. We're especially glad that SEMINAR will continue with future U.S. and international engagements, to be announced in the coming weeks."

The production has been nominated as Best Play of the 2011/2012 Season by both the Outer Critics Circle and The Drama League. In addition, Mr. Rickman has been nominated as Outstanding Actor in a Play by The Outer Critics Circle and Mr. Rickman and original co-star Lily Rabe were each recognized for giving one of the Distinguished Performances of the Season by The Drama League. The script has recently been published by Smith & Kraus and future productions licensed through Samuel French are set to be produced across the country and around the world.

The current cast of SEMINAR stars Academy Award and Emmy Award nominee Jeff Goldblum (The Pillowman, Jurassic Park, Independence Day, "Law & Order: Criminal Intent") and co-stars film and television star Justin Long (He's Just Not That Into You, The Break Up, Live Free or Die Hard, Dodgeball, "Ed," "New Girl") in his Broadway debut, Zoe Lister-Jones (The Little Dog Laughed, her own Codependence Is a Four-Letter Word, Salt, NBC's "Whitney," Fox Searchlight's upcoming Lola Versus) and original cast members film and television star Jerry O'Connell (Jerry Maguire, Stand By Me, "The Defenders," "Crossing Jordan") in his Broadway debut and actress Hettienne Park (Tony Kushner's The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide… at The Public, "The Good Wife").

The original cast of SEMINAR starred two-time Tony Award nominee, Emmy Award and Golden Globe winner Alan Rickman, who was hailed by critics with some of the best reviews of his illustrious career, heralded as "Magnificent" by The New York Times and giving "The comic performance of the season" (Time Out). The entire original cast, also including Tony Award nominee Lily Rabe, Hamish Linklater, Jerry O'Connell and Hettienne Park, were all celebrated as "Extraordinary" (USA Today), "Brilliant" (Wall Street Journal), "Astonishingly talented" (New York) and a "Champion ensemble" (New York Post).

In SEMINAR, four aspiring young novelists (Mr. Long, Ms. Lister-Jones, Mr. O'Connell and Ms. Park) sign up for private writing classes with Leonard (Mr. Goldblum), 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. SEMINAR 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.

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