Jodie Comer, an Emmy Award winner for her work on the series “Killing Eve,” will make her Broadway debut in “Prima Facie” in April.
Previews are set to begin at the Golden Theatre on April 11 ahead of an April 23 opening night. The play will run for a 10-week limited engagement.
As a solo show, “Prima Facie” centers on Tessa (played by Comer), a successful defense attorney who climbed her way up from working class to respected professional. But after she’s attacked, Tessa reevaluates the power of the law, its patriarchal lineage, the burden of proof and her own morality.
The new drama is written by Suzie Miller and directed by Justin Martin. It features an original score by Rebecca Lucy Taylor, set and costume design by Miriam Buether, lighting design by Natasha Chivers, sound design by Ben & Max Ringham, video by William Williams for Treatment Studio and U.S. general management by 101 Productions Ltd.
In addition to “Killing Eve,” Comer is known for her roles in “My Mad Fat Diary,” “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” and “Doctor Foster.” She also recently appeared in the film “Free Guy” with Ryan Reynolds. The West End production of “Prima Facie” marked her stage debut. The filmed version of the West End mounting is the highest-grossing cinema event in the U.K.’s history.
Miller is an Australian playwright, librettist and screenwriter with a background in law. Martin’s previous Broadway credits include associate director of “The Audience,” “Skylight” and, most recently, “The Inheritance.”
“Prima Facie” enjoyed its U.K. premiere, also starring Comer, earlier this year at the Harold Pinter Theatre on London’s West End. That production partnered with U.K.-based charity The Schools Consent Project, which educates young people about sexual assault and consent issues. Producers will do the same on Broadway and have announced an ongoing partnership with the organization for the U.S. premiere, extending its outreach to schools here. The production will also work with Everyone’s Invited, a digital safe space for survivors of sexual assault founded by Soma Sara. The “Prima Facie” Pro Bono Project will also provide ticket access to specific groups and organizations and also offer a low-cost ticket lottery.
“I cannot wait to continue the journey with ‘Prima Facie’ on Broadway this coming spring. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine having the opportunity to play on Broadway with a story as unique and thought provoking as this one. I’m honored that a theatre as rich in history as the Golden Theatre will be home to it,” Comer said in a statement.
“Prima Facie” is produced on Broadway by Empire Street Productions.
