Danny Ashok joins previously announced original London cast member Hari Dhillon and original LCT3 cast member Karen Pittman, alongside Gretchen Mol (The Shape of Things, "Boardwalk Empire") and Josh Radnor ("How I Met Your Mother," The Graduate).
Disgraced will mark Ashok's Broadway debut. His stage credits include The Djinns of Eidgah (The Royal Court Theatre), Disgraced (The Bush Theatre), The Royal Duchess Superstore (The Barking Broadway), Henry IV Parts 1 & 2 (Theatre Royal Bath) and Blood & Gifts (The National Theatre). His TV work includes "Silk," "The Dumping Ground," "Casualty," "Coronation Street," "The Tower" and "The Bill." He has appeared in the films "Perfume," "Four Lions" and "The Wasp & The Caterpillar."
News of a Broadway premiere for Disgraced was first revealed June 6 by LCT3 artistic director Paige Evans, who made the announcement prior to the evening performance of Akhtar's The Who and the What. Disgraced premiered in January 2012 at Chicago’s American Theatre Company before playing a fall run at Lincoln Center Theater. Kimberly Senior, who staged the Chicago premiere of the play, returned to direct the Off-Broadway production. It had its London premiere last spring at the Bush Theatre. Senior returns to stage the Broadway production.
According to producers, "Disgraced is the story of a successful Muslim-American lawyer and his wife – an artist influenced by Islamic imagery – enjoying their comfortable and successful life on New York’s Upper East Side. When a co-worker and her husband come to dinner, what begins as polite table conversation explodes, leaving everyone’s relationships and beliefs about race and identity in shards."
The Broadway creative team will include John Lee Beatty (set), Jennifer Von Mayrhauser (costumes), Ken Posner (lighting) and Jill DuBoff (sound).
Akhtar's playwriting credits also include The Invisible Hand, which premiered at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and makes its New York debut this fall at New York Theater Workshop. "American Dervish," his first novel, was released in 22 languages worldwide. He co-wrote and starred in "The War Within" (Magnolia Pictures), released internationally and nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay. As an actor, he starred as Neel Kashkari in HBO's adaptation of Andrew Ross Sorkin's "Too Big to Fail."
Read Playbill's interview with Akhtar here.
The Broadway run is produced by The Araca Group and Lincoln Center Theater.
The Lyceum Theatre is located at 149 West 45th Street. Visit disgracedonbroadway.com for more information.
