Andre Braugher, Enrico Colantoni & more to join Debra Messing in Birthday Candles on Broadway

Birthday Candles is scheduled to begin performances at the American Airlines Theatre on April 2, 2020.

Roundabout Theatre Company has now revealed complete casting to join Emmy Award winner and 9-time Golden Globe nominee Debra Messing in the upcoming New York premiere of Birthday Candles.

New additions to the cast include Emmy Award winner Andre Braugher (as Matt) and Enrico Colantoni (as Kenneth), alongside Crystal Finn (as Joan/Alex/Beth), Susannah Flood (as Alice/Madeline/Ernie), and Christopher Livingston (as Billy/John).

Mr. Braugher is set to make his Broadway debut. He is perhaps best known for his TV roles as Captain Ray Holt on "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" and as Frank Pembleton on "Homicide: Life on the Street." Mr. Colantoni is also set to make his Broadway debut and his screen credits include the roles of Keith Mars on "Veronica Mars," Sergeant Greg Parker on "Flashpoint," and Elliot DiMauro on "Just Shout Me!"

Written by Noah Haidle, marking his Broadway debut, and directed by Vivienne Benesch, the new play is set to begin previews at the American Airlines Theatre on April 2, 2020, ahead of an official opening on April 21 and a limited engagement through June 21, 2020, as previously reported.

Synopsis: "Debra Messing returns to the stage as Ernestine Ashworth, who spends her 17th birthday agonizing over her insignificance in the universe. Soon enough, it's her 18th birthday. Even sooner, her 41st. Her 70th. Her 101st. Five generations, dozens of goldfish, an infinity of dreams, one cake baked over a century. What makes a lifetime...into a life? Birthday Candles is a poignant new play as fearless in scope as it is tremendous in heart."

The creative team features scenic design by Christine Jones, costume design by Toni-Leslie James, lighting design by Jen Schriever, sound design by John Gromada, and original music by Kate Hopgood.

Birthday Candles was originally commissioned by Detroit Public Theatre, who previously staged its world premiere in the spring of 2018.

Debra Messing is, of course, best known for her beloved TV role as Grace Adler on NBC's "Will & Grace," having starred in over 200 episodes since 1998. She won an Emmy Award for the role in 2003 and has received a further four Emmy Award nominations, as well as seven Golden Globe nominations. She previously made her Broadway debut as Rosemary Muldoon in Manhattan Theatre Club's 2014 production of Outside Mullingar and she appeared Off-Broadway in MTC's 1997 production of Collected Stories and in The Naked Truth for WPA Theatre in 1994. Her other notable screen credits include her Emmy and two-time Golden Globe-nominated role as Molly Kagan on USA Network's "The Starter Wife," "The Wedding Date," "Along Came Polly," "The Women," and the role of Julia Houston on NBC's Broadway-centric musical TV series "Smash."

Birthday Candles Tickets are available now for performances from April 2 through June 21, 2020.

^{(Andre Braugher photo by Jeff Lipsky)}