Tony Winner Ron Rifkin Will Join The Substance of Fire Off-Broadway

Ron Rifkin will join the company of Jon Robin Baitz’s The Substance of Fire off-Broadway May 20 through May 23. The Tony winner will be stepping in for John Noble, who is unable to perform certain performances due to a Sleepy Hollow filming conflict. Directed by Trip Cullman, the show is running at Second Stage Theatre.

Rifkin appeared in the original production of The Substance of Fire in 1991. He received his Tony for the 1998 revival of Cabaret. Other theater credits include Wrong Mountain, Broken Glass, and Proposals. His screen credits include The Negotiator, L.A. Confidential, the film adaptation of The Substance of Fire, Husbands and Wives and Manhattan Murder Mystery.

The Substance of Fire follows the story of a family united by a proud past but facing an uncertain future. Isaac Geldhart, the volatile and brilliant patriarch of his family publishing house, is stubbornly holding on to his place at the head of the company while his three children try to convince him to publish a desperately needed best-seller. Confronted with a changing literary landscape and potential takeover of the company, the Geldhart children must either come to terms with their father and band together or break apart and forfeit the legacy he risked everything to build.

The cast also features Halley Feiffer, Daniel Eric Gold, Carter Hudson and Charlayne Woodard.