Tony winner Cynthia Nixon made history (and probably made herself totally exhausted) in 1984 when she appeared in both The Real Thing and Hurlyburly on Broadway at the exact same time. Now she’s returning to the Great White Way to star in the new Roundabout Theatre Company revival of The Real Thing—but this time, she won’t be racing across town at intermission. Nixon joins screen superstars Maggie Gyllenhaal and Ewan McGregor, who are both making their Broadway debuts in the new production. Directed by Sam Gold, the new production of Tom Stoppard's drama will begin performances on October 2 and open officially on October 30 at the American Airlines Theatre.
Nixon played Debbie in the original 1984 Broadway production of The Real Thing. She garnered a Tony Award for her performance in Rabbit Hole and additional nominations for Wit and Indiscretions. Her other Broadway credits include Angels in America, The Philadelphia Story, The Heidi Chronicles, The Last Night of Ballyhoo and The Women. Widely known as Miranda Hobbes on TV’s Sex and the City, her additional screen credits include Amadeus, World Without End, The Big C, Igby Goes Down and Marvin’s Room.
The Real Thing tells the story of Henry (McGregor), a successful playwright who is unhappily married to Charlotte (Nixon), the lead actress in his current play about a marriage on the verge of collapse. When Henry’s affair with their friend Annie (Gyllenhaal) threatens to destroy his own marriage, he discovers that life has started imitating art. After Annie leaves her husband so she and Henry can begin a new life together, he can’t help but wonder whether their love is fiction or the real thing. The Tony-winning play explores friendships, fidelity and the passions that blur our perception of love.