Jonathan Pryce & Eileen Atkins Set Broadway Return in Florian Zeller's Height of the Storm

Following a rumored Broadway transfer, Manhattan Theatre Club has confirmed an upcoming staging of Tony-nominated scribe Florian Zeller's The Height of the Storm, set to arrive at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre following a debut engagement at Wyndham's Theatre in London's West End. Two-time Tony winner Jonathan Pryce (Miss Saigon) and three-time Olivier winner Eileen Atkins (The Retreat from Moscow) will star in director Jonathan Kent's staging, scheduled to begin previews on September 10, 2019 and open on September 24, 2019.

The Height of the Storm centers on the lives of André (Pryce) and Madeleine (Atkins), who have been filled with the everyday pleasures and unfathomable mysteries of a 50-year-long marriage. When suddenly their life together begins to unravel, a loving relationship is faced with the inevitability of change.

This production marks a return to Manhattan Theatre Club for Zeller, whose work The Father played the Friedman in 2016, earning a Tony nomination for Best Play and winning Frank Langella his fourth acting Tony Award.

MTC has also announced the off-Broadway staging of Poor Yella Rednecks, a co-world premiere with South Coast Repertory, written by Qui Nguyen and directed by May Adrales, who collaborated on MTC's acclaimed Vietgone. Previews will begin at New York City Center—Stage I on May 12, 2020 with an opening night set for June 2, 2020.

Told from a mother's perspective, Poor Yella Rednecks is the story of a young family's attempt to put down roots in Arkansas, a place as different from Vietnam as it gets.

The creative team for Poor Yella Rednecks will include Arnulfo Maldonado (scenic design), Valérie Thérèse Bart (costume design), Lap Chi Chu (lighting design), Shane Rettig (original music and sound design), Jared Mezzocchi (projection design), Sean Cawelti (puppet design) and Kenny Seymour (arrangements).

Also joining MTC's season is The New Englanders, a world premiere play by Jeff Augustin (Little Children Dream of God) directed by Saheem Ali (Sugar in Our Wounds). Performances will kick off at New York City Center—Stage II on September 17, 2019 ahead of an October 2, 2019 opening night.

The New Englanders follows a mixed-race family: a teenaged daughter and her dads who are all trying to find happiness. Eisa wants to be the next Lauryn Hill and is struggling to break free of her sleepy New England town where she feels hopelessly trapped. Her fathers are being pulled in different directions of their own, one trying to reconnect with an old love, the other clinging to the path he always believed would be their future.

The creative team for The New Englanders will include Arnulfo Maldonado (scenic design), Dede Ayite (costume design), Alan C. Edwards (lighting design) and Palmer Hefferan (sound design).

Complete casting for MTC's newly announced productions is forthcoming.