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King Hedley II

King Hedley II is a play by American playwright August Wilson, the ninth in his ten-part series, The Pittsburgh Cycle. The play ran on Broadway in 2001 and was revived Off-Broadway in 2007.

King Hedley II

December 11, 1999

English

A man's salvation and a quest for redemption for a family and a people

Drama

The Hill District, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1985

Productions[edit]

King Hedley II premiered at the Pittsburgh Public Theater in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on December 11, 1999, and played a number of other regional theaters, including Seattle, Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington before its Broadway engagement.[1]


The play opened on Broadway at the Virginia Theatre on May 1, 2001 and closed on July 1, 2001, after 72 performances and 24 previews. Directed by Marion McClinton, the cast featured Brian Stokes Mitchell (King), Leslie Uggams (Ruby), Charles Brown (Elmore), Viola Davis (Tonya), Stephen McKinley Henderson (Stool Pigeon), and Monté Russell (Mister).


The play ran off-Broadway at the Peter Norton Space, New York City, in a Signature Theatre Company production, from March 11, 2007, through April 22, 2007, in a season that featured Wilson's work.[2]

King Hedley II

Tonya, King Hedley II's wife

Ruby, King Hedley II's mother

Elmore, a southern hustler (and former boyfriend of Ruby)

Mister, friend

Stool Pigeon, a wise man and a prophet

Pulitzer Prize for Drama (2000 finalist)

for Best Play (nomination)

Tony Award

Tony Award, Best Actor in a Play (Brian Stokes Mitchell) (nomination)

Tony Award, Best Actress in a Play (Leslie Uggams) (nomination)

Tony Award, Best Featured Actor in a Play (Charles Brown)(nomination)

Tony Award, Best Featured Actress in a Play, (Viola Davis) (WINNER)

Tony Award, Best Direction of a Play (Marion McClinton) (nomination)

for Best Play (nomination)

Drama Desk Award

Drama Desk Award Outstanding Actor in a Play (Mitchell) (nomination)

Drama Desk Award Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play (Brown) (nomination)

Drama Desk Award Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play (Davis) (WINNER)

Drama Desk Award Outstanding Set Design of a Play () (nomination)

David Gallo

Wilson, August (2005). King Hedley II (First ed.). New York: Theatre Communications Group.  1-55936-261-8.

ISBN

at the Internet Broadway Database

​King Hedley II​

at the Internet Off-Broadway Database

​King Hedley II​

Review, 2001