Hughie Opens Tonight with Forest Whitaker’s Broadway Debut

1280px-forestwhitaker Whether or not they got their start on stage, more and more stars seem to be flocking to Broadway, and tonight, Forest Whitaker joins them in the star role of Eugene O’Neill’s play titled Hughie, which opens at the Booth Theatre on West 45^th Street in Manhattan. Directed by Michael Grandage—Tony, Drama Desk, and Laurence Olivier Award winner for Best Director—Hughie brings talent from on and off stage.

If you recognize Forest Whitaker, it might be from one of his one-hundred-plus roles on television and in movies, including Roots (2016), Taken 3 (2014), Lee Daniels’ The Butler (2013), Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior (2010-11), ER (2006-07), The Last King of Scotland (2006), and more. Whitaker’s prolific career is highlighted by the many awards he’s received, including, but certainly not limited to, the following.

Hollywood Actor of the Year Award (2010)
American Riviera Award (2007)
NAACP Image Award (2013)
Golden Globe Award (2006)
Academy Award (2006)

Whitaker is also the co-chair of JuntoBox Films, and has worked as a producer and director in over a dozen projects. His ability to encapsulate human characters with what Roger Ebert called a “measured, serene, confident” style is sure to bring out the most vivid performance from the character Erie Smith.

Whitaker will perform alongside Frank Wood, who plays the night clerk in Hughie. Wood’s work on and Off-Broadway has earned him such accolades as the Tony Award and Drama League Award. Wood has also appeared in a myriad of television series, including “Blue Bloods,” “The Knick,” “The Sopranos,” and “Modern Family.”

Written by famed playwright Eugene O’Neill, Hughie is a one-act play presented as a conversation between a hustler (Smith, played by Whitaker) and a night clerk named Charlie Hughes (played by Wood), that takes place in 1928 Manhattan.

In its fourth visit to Broadway, Hughie opens tonight (Thursday, February 25, 2016) at 7:30. Shows will run into June, 2016, and On Broadway has the best selection of cheap tickets for evening and matinee shows.