Tony Nominee Jan Maxwell to Star in Anthony Giardina's The City of Conversation at LCT

Five-time Tony nominee Jan Maxwell will star as political hostess Hester Ferris in the upcoming Lincoln Center Theater production of The City of Conversation. Anthony Giardina's new play will be directed by Tony winner Doug Hughes and begin performances April 10. Opening night is set for May 5 at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater.

Henry James once described Washington D.C. as “the city of conversation.” The show tells the story of political hostess Hester Ferris, a behind-the-scenes mover and shaker in the nation’s capital, and of the political gains and personal losses that her choices inflict on her family over a period of 30 years, from the waning days of the Carter administration to the beginning of the Obama presidency.

Maxwell received Tony nods for Follies, Lend Me A Tenor, The Royal Family, Coram Boy and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The cast will also feature John Aylward (The Kentucky Cycle), Kristen Bush (The Common Pursuit), Beth Dixon (Major Barbara), Barbara Garrick (A Thousand Clowns), Luke Niehaus, Kevin O’Rourke (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof) and Michael Simpson. Additional casting will be announced in due course.

The City of Conversation will have sets by John Lee Beatty, costumes by Catherine Zuber, lighting by Tyler Micoleau and original music and sound by Mark Bennett.