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Topics: News, US News, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama
Gerrard Kaonga
Topics: News, US News, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama
Barack and Michelle Obama have announced that they are proud to be taking on a new venture together.
While some people have called for either Barack or Michelle to get back into politics, the couple have different plans.
The former US president and first lady have announced that they will be working with company Higher Ground to help produce their first Broadway play.
And the play they plan to bring to life? The Pulitzer Prize winning play Proof by David Auburn.
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The play focuses on the daughter of a math professor who finds a notebook containing revelatory evidence after his death.
Don Cheadle and Ayo Edebiri are set to play the leads with Cheadle as the professor and Edebiri as the daughter, making their Broadway debut.
In a statement on Wednesday (11 March), the Obamas said: “To bring this landmark play back to Broadway with Ayo, Don, Tommy, and Mike at the helm is an extraordinary privilege, and we couldn’t be more proud to be part of this production.
“Proof is exactly the kind of story Higher Ground was built to champion, a play that asks profound questions about brilliance, doubt, and what we inherit from the people we love most.
"A play that asks profound questions about brilliance, doubt, and what we inherit from the people we love most.”
The 16-week run, which opens in April, will be directed by Tony-winner Thomas Kail, who will also produce alongside Mike Bosner and the Obamas.
The production will serve as an expansion for Higher Ground. They have previously focused on film, television, and podcast projects. So far, the group has earned three Academy Award nominations and won for American Factory, and has also won six Emmys and two Grammys.
Bosner and Kail also issued a statement about this upcoming venture.
It read: “We’re thrilled to welcome Higher Ground as partners on Proof and to have their creative vision and passion behind this production. Their impeccable taste in storytelling and community-building makes them ideal collaborators for this revival.”
Proof initially premiered Off-Broadway at Manhattan Theatre Club in 2000 and sold out for its run before transferring to Broadway where it won multiple awards.
The play was also adapted into a feature length film in 2005, starring Anthony Hopkins and Gwyneth Paltrow in the lead roles.
It won't be long until we know whether this run of the play will prove equally successful.