The Iceman Cometh Star Denzel Washington Eyes King Lear as His Next Broadway Project

Denzel Washington, the Tony and Oscar winner currently back on Broadway in Eugene O'Neill's powerful epic The Iceman Cometh, has identified his next main-stem role. In a recent interview with The New York Times, the stage and Hollywood veteran talked about how he and Tony-winning producer Scott Rudin chose his current project and why their next Broadway collaboration could be a Shakespeare classic.

"We put together a list of possible plays: King Lear, Coriolanus, Iceman, a few more," said Washington. "Then we boiled it down to Iceman and King Lear. And [Rudin] said: 'Let's do Lear five years from now.' I said: "OK, we'll do that next—God willing."

Washington is no stranger to Shakespeare, having played the title role in an acclaimed 2005 production of Julius Caesar on Broadway. His extensive list of credits also includes a Tony-winning performance in Fences—which he reprised on-screen to Oscar-nominated effect—as well as turns in A Raisin in the Sun and Checkmates.

The Iceman Cometh, directed by Tony winner George C. Wolfe, began previews at the Jacobs Theatre on March 23 and will celebrate an official opening on April 26.