"The Inheritance" stars John Benjamin Hickey, Lois Smith and Paul Hilton photographed exclusively for Broadway.com by Emilio Madrid-Kuser

Only Connect! Meet the Stars of Matthew Lopez's Riveting Broadway Epic The Inheritance

Fall Preview 2019

by Paul Wontorek • Sep 10, 2019

Although it’s a two-part, seven-hour epic, the experience of watching Matthew Lopez’s The Inheritance is more in line with binging the newest instantly-addictive Netflix show than any long, dull theater nightmares from your past. Sure, it’s got a highbrow literary connection (1910’s Howard’s End was the inspiration, and closeted author E.M. Forster is a character) and deeply moving things to say about how generations of gay men respect and care for one another, but it also operates as a sexy, smart popcorn drama. Already a hit in London, where it won the Olivier Award for Best Play earlier this year, the New York City-set show starts at Broadway’s Barrymore Theatre on September 27. The company of 13—five of which recreate their London turns—includes Tony winner John Benjamin Hickey, Olivier winner Kyle Soller, stage legend Lois Smith and countless fresh faces. Before taking to the stage, Broadway.com gathered them for portraits and getting-to-know-you surveys on their career starts, personal inheritances and deliciously quotable lines from the show.

Bonus: Playwright Lopez on the inspiration of Howard’s End and how he made author E.M. Forster complicit with his fresh take.

KYLE SOLLER
Plays Eric Glass and Young Man 9

When did you make your stage debut?
My stage debut was in the Nativity play at Christ Church in Old Town, Alexandra, VA when I was four years old. I was cast as the Black Sheep in a herd of children sheep, who were kept in a large pew where George Washington once sat. That history and the play were lost on me (I was desperate to be Joseph or Mary) and I got bored. As the sheep’s entrance was approaching, my parents, sitting in the pew opposite, looked over to the sheep pen and couldn’t find my black sheep cap. My dad’s vision was drawn upwards and he found me scaling halfway up the church window. Pretty sure I was late for my entrance!
How did The Inheritance make you feel when you first encountered it?
I laughed, I cried, and was profoundly changed. I read it in 24 hours and couldn’t put it down. I’d never read a play like it before and wonder if I ever will again.
What’s your favorite line from the play?
“From where you sit on this beach today, you have no idea whose lives you will touch, and which ones you will save. But in order to do that, you must love. Even if you know that your heart will be broken by it. The only way to heal heartache is to risk more.”
Why is The Inheritance a must-see show this fall?
It’s a story that has everything. It’s hilarious and heartbreaking in equal measure. It attempts to heal wounds in a community that is once again under attack and help create a future where they are free to be themselves. It creates a connection with the audience I have never felt before in the theater. By the end to the play, we’ve all been changed.

JOHN BENJAMIN HICKEY
Plays Henry Wilcox

When did you make your stage debut?
When I was in the sixth grade, I played the Wizard in a science class student theater/film adaptation of The Wizard of Oz. For a sixth grade science class student theater/film adaptation, it went pretty well.
What’s your claim to fame?
See answer to first question.
How did The Inheritance make you feel when you first encountered it?
Overwhelmed.
What’s your favorite line from the play?
Everything Paul Hilton says.
Like E.M. Forster in The Inheritance, which famous figure from the past would love to bring back for a chat?
The science teacher who thought it was a good idea to do a stage/film adaptation of The Wizard of Oz with their sixth grade students.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve learned from someone who came before you?
Many years ago, I did a play with the great Nancy Marchand. The first week of previews were not going so well, and so I went to her dressing room and asked her what she thought was going to happen. She asked me, “Who has the smallest part in the play?” I replied, “I think I do.” She paused for a second and then said, “You will probably be fired by the end of the week.” I didn’t get fired, but it was her way of telling me just to keep my mouth shut and play my part. Best advice I ever got.
Why is The Inheritance a must-see show this fall?
Because it’s about connecting. It’s about how the generation that came before you, the artists, and all the people who died too soon, how they are right here with you, urging you to do better, be better, build a better world. It’s a must-see play for the world we all live in today.

PAUL HILTON
Plays Morgan (i.e. E.M. Forster) and Walter

When did you make your stage debut?
A school production of the musical Oliver! when I was 13. A tenacious drama teacher persuaded me to “get involved” and his encouragement and influence inspired me to become an actor. After that first taste of theater, I never looked back.
How did The Inheritance make you feel when you first encountered it?
I first read it through the night by candlelight in one sitting. The sun was rising as I finished it and I knew that this piece was destined to change people’s lives. It changed mine overnight!
Like E.M. Forster in the play, which famous figure from the past would love to bring back for a chat?
I grew up listening to Prince. If I could bring him back for a chat, I’d thank him for his genius and his music. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t listen to his work. He nourishes and sustains me.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve learned from someone who came before you?
In the months before my mother passed away, she wrote “LIFE IS SHORT. LIVE IT WELL X” on my kitchen tabletop. It’s my daily mantra.
What’s the most valuable thing you’ve ever inherited?
A desire to live each day as if it were my very last, to “live well” means to give all that you have to every moment and encounter.
Why is The Inheritance a must-see show this fall?
In the words of Hal David: “What the world needs now is love, sweet love.” Now more than ever!

LOIS SMITH
Plays Margaret

When did you make your stage debut?
Time Out for Ginger on Broadway in 1952. Melvyn Douglas played my father and there were three teenage sisters—I played the middle one. In my last exit in the play, my character was going off to play Queen Victoria in her high school play. On the very last night of the run, when I made my exit, Melvyn ad-libbed, “She’s gonna be a great actress, that kid.” It’s one of my dearest memories, just the sweetest thing.
What was the first Broadway show you saw?
It was a mystery. I don’t remember the name of it. As it neared the end of the first act, there was a blackout in the play. It was so exciting and suspenseful because you didn’t know what was about to happen. I was so physically aware of straining, straining, straining to see and then suddenly the house lights came up. And I had never had an experience like that and it was thrilling.
How did The Inheritance make you feel when you first encountered it?
I was in the workshop of the play a couple of years ago. That was my introduction to it, and I dearly enjoyed being a part of it. One of the oddities of this experience is that Howard’s End has for many, many years been my very favorite novel!

ANDREW BURNAP
Plays Toby Darling

What’s your claim to fame?
I make a mean breakfast.
When did you make your stage debut?
As a 10-year-old in The Chorus of Westerly’s A Celebration of Twelfth Night, which was the annual Christmas show dealing with mythical themes of good versus evil. It went perfectly, though I think my grandmother had some notes.
What was the first Broadway show you saw?
When I was in eighth grade, my school chorus took a trip to New York City and we saw Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Hair. I fell asleep in both, but the parts I saw I loved!
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve learned from someone who came before you?
A former teacher wrote a sentence on the chalkboard that remained there for an entire year, and it is the very sentence I carry with me wherever I go. That sentence read, “Do not waste your suffering.”
What’s the most valuable thing you’ve ever inherited?
I was recently given two love letters written by my grandfather to his love, my grandmother. Worth more than money can buy.
What’s your favorite line from The Inheritance?
“Whether through death or dissolution, to fell in love is to make an appointment with heartbreak.” Followed swiftly by: “Get over here, that ass needs a face in it.”
Why is The Inheritance a must-see show this fall?
A seven-hour epic about what it means to love is just what we need right now.

SAMUEL H. LEVINE
Plays Adam, Leo and Young Man 1

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve learned from someone who came before you?
“Whatever you are running from… Let it catch up.” Also: “Be where your feet are.” Matthew Lopez told me that one. In the other words, be in the moment, be present.
Like E.M. Forster in the play, which famous figure from the past would love to bring back for a chat?
I’d love to go on a walk and have a chat with River Phoenix about life and about acting.
Why is The Inheritance a must-see show this fall?
It’s a story that hasn’t been told yet. It’s wildly funny and painfully moving. It gives voices to the voiceless. It’s more than a play. It’s a bridge between generations, a link from the people that were lost in the epidemic to the current generation. Matthew Lopez has written an incredible play that is truthful and raw that everyone should experience. It fills audiences with hope and empathy, the desire to hear and to live. Also, I have to mention that is is extremely sexy!
What’s your favorite line from the play?
Too many to choose from, but this one has been in my head lately: “Maybe we should plant some bluebells around the perimeter of the house. Or peonies.”

JONATHAN BURKE
Plays Young Man 5 and Agent

When did you make your stage debut?
Singing “My Cherie Amour” in Motown Spectacular, my middle school’s musical production created by our drama teacher, Kenyatta Hardison at Cardinal Sheehan School. As soon as I began the song, the audience responded with applause, ending with a standing ovation. It was in that moment that I decided I would be an actor for the rest of my life.
What was the first Broadway show you saw?
Les Miserables, on my eighth grade class trip to New York City. I remember sitting near the back of the orchestra, house right, LOVING every second. Especially loved witnessing a black woman in the role of Madame Thenardier, Fuschia Walker, who is also from Baltimore and went to the same high school I went to, Baltimore School for the Arts! Seeing her on that stage made me believe that one day I could be there as well.
What’s the most valuable thing you’ve ever inherited?
My sense of self-worth from my parents and grandparents.
Like Howard’s End in the play, is there a classic story that you think is ripe for a modern adaptation?
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
What’s your favorite line from the play?
“Tell your story bravely. It is a story worth telling.”

KYLE HARRIS
Plays Young Man 7 and Jasper

What’s your claim to fame?
Starring in Stitchers for three seasons on Freeform. If you were a teenage girl that stuck around after Pretty Little Liars, you might have heard of it.
When did you make your stage debut?
The coveted role of Meat in a play about nutrition in the 5th grade. My costume was basically the steak emoji made of cardboard and I believe my only line was, “The name’s Meat. Mighty glad to meat-cha!” And thus, a star was born.
What was the first Broadway show you saw?
Assassins in 2004 at Studio 54, the same theater I ended up making my Broadway debut in six years later! To this day, one of my favorite shows I’ve ever seen. Michael Cerveris was a force as John Wilkes Booth and we had similar hair, so naturally I thought I could be just like him. I learned at the stage door it was a wig and that it takes more than good hair to make it in this business.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve learned from someone who came before you?
Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.
What’s the most valuable thing you’ve ever inherited?
My mother’s curly hair.
What do you think is the message of The Inheritance?
The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.
Why is The Inheritance a must-see show this fall?
In a word: Speedos.

CARSON MCCALLEY
Plays Young Man 3 and Young Henry

When did you make your stage debut?
This will be my Broadway debut! But if we’re talking in any capacity, I was in my first show in 4th grade. I was Charlie Brown and eight-year-old me thought he really nailed it!
What was the first Broadway show you saw?
Three years ago I saw The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, which happened to be at the Barrymore (the same stage I get to make my debut on soon!). It opened my mind in so many ways to the potential and power of theater.
How did The Inheritance make you feel when you first encountered it?
I was absolutely wrecked. I remember running into the kitchen with tears in my eyes to tell all my roommates I’ve never read anything more beautiful in my entire life. I felt so vulnerable, as if Matthew, more than any other writer before, had peered into my life and spoken to me, about me. I definitely did some intense meditation afterwards.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve learned from someone who came before you?
Hold on tightly. Let go lightly.
What’s your favorite line from The Inheritance?
The very last line of the play. I love it so much I’m considering getting it tattooed on my body. I can’t in good conscience tell you what it is, so you’ll have to come see it to find out!

DARRYL GENE DAUGHTRY JR.
Plays Young Man 2 and Jason #1

What was the first Broadway show you saw?
Wicked in high school. That dragon! It was truly magical!
What’s your claim to fame?
That I’m always ready for (and have never lost a) lightsaber battle!
What’s the most valuable thing you’ve ever inherited?
I’m particularly proud of my dark skin, and my hair.
Like E.M. Forster in The Inheritance, which famous figure from the past would love to bring back for a chat?
Whoever wrote Gilgamesh! No, but really, August Wilson. Being from the same neighborhood, I’d have so many questions.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve learned from someone who came before you?
Change is the only constant. Which is particularly hard for me because I’m a Leo.
How did The Inheritance make you feel when you first encountered it?
When I got the script, I was in a cafe. I started reading it and was in love! My laptop died and I reached home to charge it just so I could finish it that night.

DYLAN FREDERICK
Plays Young Man 4 and Young Walter

When did you make your stage debut?
I was ten years old. I played a goat in Three Billy Goats Gruff. It went well.
What was the first Broadway show you saw?
My parents brought me to Beauty and the Beast and I fell asleep in the first act so I remember nothing.
How did The Inheritance make you feel when you first encountered it?
I felt close to Matthew [Lopez]. I wanted to meet him and know him as a friend.
What’s your favorite line from the play?
“In the shade of the dunes.”
What’s the most valuable thing you’ve ever inherited?
Grandma’s red ruby.
Like E.M. Forster in the play, which famous figure from the past would love to bring back for a chat?
Fred Rogers.
Why is The Inheritance a must-see show this fall?
Lois Smith.

ARTURO LUÍS SORIA
Plays Young Man 8 and Jason #2

What was the first Broadway show you saw?
I’m sure it was a musical, maybe even a Disney one but the one that had the largest impact on me was Rent. It was Angel that truly blew me away. The high heels, the dancing, the dresses, the sass, the heart. I remember thinking, “We have the same legs. I can do that!” It was the first time I’d seen a queer Latinx character onstage. My world changed.
What’s your favorite line from the play?
“Hello maricón, you’re gay!”
What do you think is the message of The Inheritance?
Love. Family. Ancestry. Responsibility. Community.
Like E.M. Forster in the play, which famous figure from the past would love to bring back for a chat?
I would love to chat with Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson. To just sit in their presence and hear from them what they experienced, saw and felt at the Stonewall Riots.
Like Howard’s End in the play, is there a classic story that you think is ripe for a modern adaptation?
I really can’t wait for Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin to be made into a movie. And I wanna toss my name into the hat to be in it!
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve learned from someone who came before you?
Don’t grow up too fast.

JORDAN BARBOUR
Plays Young Man 6 and Tristan

When did you make your stage debut?
When I was five in my kindergarten Christmas pageant of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. I played Comet and was quite frustrated that I didn’t get the part of Rudolph, considering my mother was the teacher! But kudos to her for fighting nepotism.
What’s your claim to fame?
I can probably quote every line from Strangers with Candy.
What’s your favorite line from The Inheritance?
“For once, he could stare at the tiger and not fear its teeth.”
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve learned from someone who came before you?
Someone once told me to always remember the phrase, “I approve of myself as I am.” I haven’t always adhered to it, but in times of deep sadness and self-loathing, it’s helped me immensely.
Why is The Inheritance a must-see show this fall?
I think audiences will look back fondly at having partaken in this epic experience when they get the chance to tell people, “I saw that play when it first premiered on Broadway.” It’s a huge cultural moment. And it’s happening now.