The Columnist, Starring John Lithgow, Receives Third and Final Extension

David Auburn’s The Columnist has extended its run at Manhattan Theatre Club’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre for the third time. Directed by Daniel Sullivan, the play will now end its limited engagement on July 8. Starring two-time Tony Award winner John Lithgow, The Columnist opened on April 25 and was originally scheduled to conclude its run July 1.

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 Alsop, Grace Gummer as Abigail and Brian J. Smith as Andrei.


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).