Jessica Chastain Returns to Broadway in 'Lost Lear' at Booth Theatre

By Elena Vasquez

Jessica Chastain will return to Broadway in spring 2027 in "Lost Lear," a new play built around "King Lear." Previews begin March 29, 2027 at the Booth Theatre. Opening night is April 23, 2027. The engagement runs a limited 16 weeks.

The announcement marks Chastain's first appearance in a new show on Broadway. She was last seen on the boards in 2023, in the acclaimed revival of Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House." That production earned strong reviews; "Lost Lear" now shifts her from a classic text to a new one.

Who does Chastain play?

Chastain takes the role of Joy. Joy is a middle-aged actress with early onset dementia. Her one clear memory is performing in Shakespeare's "King Lear." The play watches Joy's family and caregivers enter the world her memory has locked into.

The official logline sets the frame: "As her grip on the present slips, Joy (Chastain), a former actress, is certain she's back in rehearsal for 'King Lear.' At her care home, her nurse (Urie) takes his cues from her, stepping into whatever role she needs him to play. When her estranged son Conor (Stoll) comes to visit, he's ready to tell his mother what he's spent years leaving unsaid. But if he wants her to hear him, he'll have to step into the scene. A limited event. A memory that will be impossible to leave behind."

In short: the play treats Lear as a memory structure, not a text to be revived.

Who else is in the cast and creative team?

Chastain stars alongside two established stage names:

• Corey Stoll ("Appropriate") as Conor, Joy's estranged son
• Michael Urie ("Once Upon a Mattress," "Spamalot") as Joy's nurse
• Additional casting will be announced at a later date

Dan Colley wrote the play and will direct. The production is his Broadway debut. For Chastain, it pairs a first-time Broadway playwright-director with a star carrying a 16-week limited run — a structure producers typically reserve for bankable names.

Where did 'Lost Lear' come from?

The play is not a fresh commission. It was first workshopped and performed in Ireland in 2022 — five years before its Broadway arrival. It has since been staged in New Zealand, the U.S., the U.K., Poland and Scotland: six territories in total, across three continents.

That track record distinguishes it from most star vehicles that arrive on Broadway untested.

What has the playwright said?

Colley addressed the production's route from Irish workshop to Broadway house. "I never imagined, when we first made 'Lost Lear,' that it would one day be on Broadway — and I've imagined some pretty wild things," Colley said. "I'm so thrilled to have the opportunity to share this piece with New York audiences and to discover new facets of the work through collaborating with this remarkable company of artists."

His phrasing credits the cast as part of the discovery process, not merely the delivery mechanism for a finished text.

Why the dates matter

The March 29, 2027 preview start and April 23 opening place "Lost Lear" deep in the spring 2027 season, when Tony Award eligibility is decided. A 16-week engagement from late March would carry the production through mid-July. Chastain's 2023 "A Doll's House" run drew awards attention; this new role — an actress losing her memory of playing Lear — gives her a showpiece part in a debut playwright's Broadway bow.