Craig Bierko, Jan Maxwell to Head MTC's Broadway Cast of To Be or Not to Be

Tony nominees Craig Bierko and Jan Maxwell will head the cast of Manhattan Theatre Club's world premiere Broadway production of Nick Whitby's To Be or Not to Be, based on the 1942 movie comedy of the same name. The play will begin previews at the Biltmore Theatre on September 11 and will open on October 2, directed by Casey Nicholaw.

In addition to Bierko and Maxwell, the cast will feature Peter Benson The Pajama Game, Steve Kazee Spamalot, 110 in the Shade, Michael McCarty Mary Poppins, Kristine Nielsen Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Our Leading Lady, Brandon Perler, Rocco Sisto Iphigenia 2.0, and Marina Squerciati Beauty of the Father. Complete casting will be announced in the coming weeks.

At the Polski Theatre in 1939 Warsaw, Joseph Bierko and Maria Tura Maxwell are about to open yet another smash with their theatrical troupe. As the German invasion gets underway, the theater is closed by the censors, forcing the troupe to face desperate times. But when a handsome young bomber pilot enlists their help to catch a spy, what is a group of actors to do? This hilarious black comedy is an ingenious commentary on the World War II era and an inspired tribute to the timeless joys of the theater.

Bierko received a Best Actor Tony nomination for the Broadway revival of The Music Man. Other theater credits include Modern Orthodox and Thou Shalt Not. Film credits include Bill, For Your Consideration, Scary Movie 4, Cinderella Man, Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star, Kate & Leopold, The Suburbans, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, The Long Kiss Goodnight and ‘Til There Was You.

Maxwell received Tony nominations for Coram Boy and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and appeared on Broadway in Sixteen Wounded, A Doll's House, The Sound of Music, The Dinner Party, Dancing At Lughnasa and City of Angels. Off-Broadway credits include Scenes from an Execution, Substitution, Entertaining Mr. Sloane, The Bald Soprano, Opening Doors, A Bad Friend, My Old Lady and House and Garden.

The creative team for To Be or Not to Be will include: Anna Louizos Scenic Design, Gregg Barnes Costume Design, Howell Binkley Lighting Design, Darron L West Sound Design and Josh Marquette Hair Design.