The Columnist, Starring John Lithgow, Extends Before Opening

David Auburn’s The Columnist has extended its run at Manhattan Theatre Club’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. Directed by Daniel Sullivan, the play, which was scheduled to run through June 17, will now end its limited engagement on June 24. Starring two-time Tony Award winner John Lithgow, The Columnist officially opens April 25.



Set at a time when columnists are kings and Joseph Alsop (Lithgow) wears the crown, The Columnist paints a portrait of a man who is beloved, feared and courted in equal measure by the Washington political world at whose center he sits. As the 1960s dawn and America undergoes dizzying change, the intense political drama Joe is embroiled in becomes deeply personal as well.





The Columnist also features Tony nominee Stephen Kunken as journalist David Halberstam, Tony winner Boyd Gaines as Joseph’s brother Stewart, Margaret Colin as Susan Aslop, Grace Gummer as Joseph’s daughter, Abigail, and Brian J. Smith as Andrei, a young Russian man.



The creative team for The Columnist includes John Lee Beatty (scenic design), Jess Goldstein (costume design), Kenneth Posner (lighting design), John Gromada (original music and sound design), Rocco DiSanti (projection design) and Charles G. LaPointe (hair and wig design).