“Chicken and Biscuits,” a new play written by Douglas Lyons, will premiere on Broadway this fall.
The play, directed by Zhailon Levingston, will play the Circle in the Square Theatre starting Sept. 23, 2021, with an opening night Oct. 10. Theater veterans Norm Lewis and Michael Urie will star in the limited engagement.
“Chicken and Biscuits” comes to Broadway after staging its world premiere at Queens Theatre in Flushing Meadows — Corona Park, Queens. The play started performances on Feb. 28, 2020, but had to end its run after less than two weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The play marks the first Broadway transfer from the Queens Theatre and ushers in several others firsts for the production itself.
At 27 years old, Levingston, who is currently the associate director of “Tina,” will be the youngest Black director in Broadway history, according to the production. This will also be the Broadway playwriting debut for Lyons, who has previously been seen as an actor on Broadway in “Beautiful” and “The Book of Mormon.”
“I am beyond thrilled to be making my Broadway playwriting debut, [10] years and one block away from the very stage where I made my acting debut in ‘The Book of Mormon,” Lyons said in the press release. “‘Chicken & Biscuits’ is a story of love, messiness and healing. This opportunity to bring our comedically complex Black family to the Broadway stage is a complete gift.”
The play also marks the debut of several Broadway producers, including E. Clayton Cornelious, who was most recently performing in “Ain’t Too Proud” and met Lyons while performing with him in “Beautiful,” as well as Pamela Ross and Leah Michalos. Hunter Arnold, a producer of “Hadestown” and several other productions, is also a lead producer.
Additional cast members will be announced at a later date.
The play is scheduled to run at Circle in the Square through Jan. 2. “American Buffalo” had previously announced plans to open at Circle in the Square Theatre on April 14, 2021. It now plans to return to the theater in March 2022, according to a spokesperson for the production.
