William Sadler Joins Sarandon and Rush in Exit the King

William Sadler has joined the cast of the upcoming Broadway production of Exit the King. As previously announced, the revival of Eugene Ionesco’s absurdist comedy will star Susan Sarandon, Geoffrey Rush, Lauren Ambrose and Andrea Martin. Rush co-wrote a new translation with Neil Armfield, who will also direct. Previews begin at the Barrymore Theatre on March 7, with opening night set for March 26. Casting for the final role, the Guard, will be announced shortly.

Sadler previously appeared on Broadway alongside Denzel Washington in 2005’s Julius Caesar, as well as in the original cast of Biloxi Blues, which earned him a Drama Desk nomination in 1986. He has appeared off-Broadway opposite Al Pacino and Billy Crudup in The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, as well as in John Guare’s A Few Stout Individuals, Cracks at Playwrights Horizons and Measure for Measure and Henry V at the Delacorte Theatre. His notable film and TV credits include Kinsey, Roswell, The Green Mile, The Shawshank Redemption, Wonderfalls, Traveler and Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey.

Written in 1962, Exit the King follows the slow death of a monarch whose reign has outlasted both its welcome and its allotted time. The play premiered at the Lyceum Theatre in 1968, where it played 47 performances. Exit the King was filmed twice for French television, in 1978 and in 2006. In 2007, the Australian theater troupe Company B mounted productions in Sydney and Melbourne, both helmed by Armfield and starring Rush.

The design team for Exit the King includes Dale Ferguson sets & costumes, Damien Cooper lighting and Russell Goldsmith sound. John Rodgers is the composer. Exit the King is being produced on Broadway by Stuart Thompson, Robert Fox, Howard Panter, Tulchin/Bartner, Scott Rudin and The Shubert Organization.

The production is set to play through June 14.