Straight Outta Compton’s Corey Hawkins Set for Six Degrees of Separation on Broadway

Straight Outta Compton’s Corey Hawkins will join the previously announced Allison Janney and John Benjamin Hickey in the Broadway revival of John Guare’s Six Degrees of Separation. Directed by Trip Cullman, the production will begin previews on April 5, 2017 before opening at the Barrymore Theatre on April 25. The limited engagement is scheduled to run through July 16.

Hawkins is set to take on the role of Paul, the young con man whose trail of deceit lies at the heart of the play. He first gained recognition with his breakout performance as iconic music producer and hip hop legend Dr. Dre in Straight Outta Compton. Hawkins will next star as Eric Carter in the new iteration of Fox’s 24 franchise, 24: Legacy. Other screen credits include Kong: Skull Island, The Walking Dead and Iron Man 3. Hawkins made his Broadway debut in 2013 as Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet, opposite Orlando Bloom and Condola Rashad; he has also been seen on stage in Hurt Village and Suicide Incorporated.

Inspired by a true story, the play follows the trail of a young black con man, Paul (Hawkins), who insinuates himself into the lives of a wealthy New York couple, Ouisa and Flan Kittredge (Janney and Hickey), saying he knows their son at college. Claiming he’s the son of actor Sidney Poitier, Paul tells them he has just been mugged and all his money is gone. Captivated by Paul's intelligence (and the possibility of appearing in his father’s new movie), the Kittredges invite him to stay overnight. After finding him in bed with a hustler, their picture of Paul changes, and Ouisa and Flan turn detective trying to piece together the connections that gave him access to their lives. Meanwhile, Paul's cons unexpectedly lead him into darker territory as his lies begin to catch up with him.

Guare’s drama-comedy premiered off-Broadway in 1990 and transferred to the Great White Way later that year. Stockard Channing, who received a Tony nomination for her performance as Ouisa, reprised her role for the film adaptation, earning an Oscar nod.

The production will feature sets by Mark Wendland, lighting by Ben Stanton and sound by Darron L West.