Academy Award winner Robert Downey Jr. will make his Broadway debut in the new Ayad Akhtar play McNeal, directed by Bartlett Sher. The Lincoln Center Theater production will run from September 5 through November 24 at the Vivian Beaumont Theater. Downey Jr. will play Jacob McNeal, a “perpetual candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature,” who has an estranged son, a new novel, old axes to grind, and an “unhealthy fascination with Artificial Intelligence.” Downey Jr. is more than just the Marvel superhero he lovingly portrayed for ten years, he’s a serious actor and should be respected as such.
Downey Jr. announced his new role on Instagram, proudly stating “I am making my Broadway debut in the new play MCNEAL at Lincoln Center Theater! I knew I wanted to do Ayad’s new play before I was done reading it, then hearing Bart would be directing at the Beaumont theater sealed the deal. It’s been 40 years since I was last on “the boards”, but hopefully I’ll knock the dust off quick. MCNEAL is a timely and important story about the future of creatives, and I intend to do it justice.”
The 59-year-old just won an Oscar for his performance in Oppenheimer, and he’s returning to the small screen, starring in HBO’s The Sympathizer. While his iconic performance as Iron Man is heralded as the height of his career, I disagree. Downey Jr. is proving that he is capable of complex, detailed roles that don’t require a CGI suit; his role as Lewis Strauss was captivating and brilliant. I am excited to see him grow as an artist and expand his medium.
Ayad Akhtar is a Pulitzer-winning playwright, and his latest production is sure to excite. Per Deadline, the synopsis for the play reads: “Good writers borrow, great writers steal. Jacob McNeal is a great writer, one of our greatest, [and] a perpetual candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature. But McNeal also has an estranged son, a new novel, old axes to grind, and an unhealthy fascination with Artificial Intelligence. Pulitzer Prize-winner Ayad Akhtar’s new play is a startling and wickedly smart examination of the inescapable humanity – and increasing inhumanity – of the stories we tell.”
Downey Jr. is sure to give McNeal life and explore the complicated nature of authors, success, and the surge of AI influence in art.
