Straight White Men

Straight White Men on Broadway Background

Young Jean Lee is a highly accomplished and versatile playwright, who founded her own theatre company called Young Jean Lee’s Theater Company. Called “the most adventurous downtown playwright of her generation” by the New York Times, Lee is a dazzlingly exciting new voice. Straight White Men had its world premiere in April 2014 at the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, Ohio, before transferring to an Off-Broadway run at New York’s Public Theater the following year.

That Off-Broadway production received excellent reviews, being declared a New York Times Critics’ Pick, with Charles Isherwood calling it a “mournful and inquisitive play” and a “fascinating” work that “goes far beyond cheap satire.” Rather than offer an exercise in mocking the people referred to in the play’s title, Lee rather intends her audience to sympathize with her characters, illustrating the complication of matters concerning race and identity, particularly in the context of success. This powerful cast and creative team make Straight White Men a show not to miss.

What's Straight White Men Like?

Set on Christmas Eve, the play subverts the traditional father-son drama, as three adult sons return home to share the holiday with their father. Starring in Straight White Men on Broadway is Armie Hammer, the co-star of this year’s buzzed-about film Call Me By Your Name. Hammer’s previous film credits include Cameron & Tyler Winklevoss in The Social Network, Clyde Tolson in J. Edgar, and Steve Lift in Sorry to Bother You; he is making his Broadway debut with Straight White Men. Tom Skerritt will star in the play; Skerritt previously appeared on Broadway in the 2013 production of A Time to Kill, & he is also well known for "Picket Fences". The show is directed by Tony Award winner and Steppenwolf Theatre Company artistic director Anna D. Shapiro, whose Broadway directorial credits include August: Osage County, Fish in the Dark, Of Mice and Men & This Is Our Youth.

Is Straight White Men Good for Kids?

The show is most appropriate for those age 12 and older. Children under the age of 4 will not be permitted in the theatre.