Jitney

Jitney on Broadway Background

This production of Jitney is historic, as it is the first time this play has had a Broadway run, and it is also the last of August Wilson’s “Pittsburgh Cycle” to do so.

The first time a play by August Wilson was produced on Broadway was the 1984 production of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. The world premiere of Jitney took place in 1982 in a small theatre in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, followed by a larger scale premiere in 1996. Over the next four years, there were 20 productions of the play across the nation, while Wilson continued to refine the writing. The New York premiere took place in 2000 at the Off-Broadway Second Stage Theatre, followed by a run at the Union Square Theater. In fall 2001, the play had a run at London’s National Theatre, Lyttelton Theatre, and won the Olivier Award for Best Play. Now for the first time, the play is premiering on Broadway at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre in a Manhattan Theatre Club production.

What's Jitney Like?

August Wilson is a brilliant playwright, one of the greatest American writers of the twentieth century. The last production of one of his works to play on Broadway was Fences (2010), starring Denzel Washington. Previously, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone played in 2009, and Radio Golf played in 2007. Jitney is the only one of these ten plays that has never before played on Broadway – until now. His works have won countless awards, including a Tony Award for Fences, and a Pulitzer Prize for both Fences and The Piano Lesson. This production of Jitney is directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, whose previous Broadway credits include Stick Fly, Gem of the Ocean, Seven Guitars, and Jelly’s Last Jam. As the third Broadway production of an August Wilson play directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, this is an unmissable show.

Is Jitney Good for Kids?

This show is most appropriate for those over the age of 10. Children under the age of 4 will not be permitted in the theatre.