'Killing Eve' Star Jodie Comer Will Make Broadway Debut Next Year with 'Prima Facie'
As most Anglophiles probably know, there's a long theatrical tradition in the British entertainment community. Perhaps it's because they all hail from the land of William Shakespeare or, more likely, the vibrant culture of regional theaters and acting schools in the U.K. means that it's a lot easier for actors to get stage experience. And every so often, if we're very lucky, those actors will cross the pond to tread the boards of Broadway.
From Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen's Waiting for Godot/No Man's Land double bill and Helen Mirren's turn as Queen Elizabeth II in The Audience to Tom Hiddleston in Betrayal and Daniel Craig's current run in Macbeth, recent years have seen a deluge of Brits on Broadway. And, now, Emmy winner Jodie Comer will make her debut on the American stage in 2023.
The Killing Eve star will reprise her role in Suzie Miller's new play Prima Facie, a one-woman show about a lawyer who specializes in defending men accused of sexual assault. But when she is sexually assaulted herself, she is forced to finally confront the ways the legal system frequently fails those who most need its help.
This play's synopsis reads as follows.
Tessa is a thoroughbred. A young, brilliant barrister who loves to win. She has worked her way up from working class origins to be at the top of her game; defending; cross examining and lighting up the shadows of doubt in any case. An unexpected event forces her to confront the lines where the patriarchal power of the law, burden of proof and morals diverge.
"It has been an absolute privilege to tell Tessa’s story here in London over the past few weeks and to now have the opportunity to take Prima Facie to Broadway is a dream come true,” Comer said in a statement.
Justin Martin will once again direct the show for its Broadway run. Prima Facie features an original score by Rebecca Lucy Taylor, who is better known as Self Esteem, set and costume design by Miriam Buether, lighting design by Natasha Chivers, and sound design by Ben and Max Ringham.
The play is currently in production in London's West End, where it is in the final weeks of a sold-out run at the Harold Pinter Theatre. It will come to Broadway for a limited engagement at a still to be determined date next spring, and venue and ticketing information will be announced in the coming weeks.
