Complete casting has been announced for the previously announced Lincoln Center Theater (LCT) production of “McNeal.” Directed by Bartlett Sher, the new play by Pulitzer Prize winner Ayad Akhtar will begin previews on Sept. 5 and open on Sept. 30 at the Vivian Beaumont Theater, LCT’s Broadway house. The production, which will mark the Main Stem debut of Robert Downey Jr., is scheduled for a limited engagement through Nov. 24.
“McNeal” follows fictional writer Jacob McNeal, who grapples with family and career challenges amid a deepening obsession with artificial intelligence.
Joining Downey in the titular role will be Brittany Bellizeare as a Times reporter named Natasha Brathwaite, Rafi Gavron as McNeal’s son Harlan, Melora Hardin as retired Times editor Francine Blake, Andrea Martin as McNeal’s agent Stephie Banic, Ruthie Ann Miles as McNeal’s physician Sahra Grewal and Saisha Talwar as Dipti, Banic’s assistant.
In addition to Downey live and in person, the production will incorporate a realistic, metahuman digital likeness of Downey, created by independent studio AGBO and Downey.
The production will mark the Broadway debuts of Bellizeare, Gavron and Talwar. Bellizeare appeared in the Off-Broadway mountings of LCT’s “Flex” and the Public Theater’s “Fat Ham.” Gavron appeared in the 2018 film “A Star is Born” and Hulu’s 2019 limited series “Catch-22.” He can currently be seen in the MGM+ series “Godfather of Harlem.” Talwar recently received her MFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.
Hardin is, perhaps, best known for playing Jan Levinson on NBC’s “The Office.” A 2016 Emmy Award nominee for her guest spot on “Transparent,” Hardin made her Broadway debut in 2008 playing Roxie Hart in “Chicago.”
Martin last appeared on the Main Stem as the Ghost of Christmas Past in the 2019 adaptation of “A Christmas Carol.” She is one of only three individuals to have won the Tony Award for best featured actress in a musical twice, recognized for her turns in LCT’s “My Favorite Year” in 1993 and again for the revival of “Pippin” in 2013.
Miles most recently appeared as the Beggar Woman in the 2023 revival of “Sweeney Todd,” garnering a Tony nod for her performance. She made her Broadway debut in LCT’s 2015 revival of “The King and I,” winning a Tony for her featured turn as Lady Thiang.
“McNeal” is being produced by LCT in association with Team Downey, an entertainment company co-founded by Downey and Susan Downey.
