Danny Burstein, Jessica Hecht and Jeremy Shamos will star in Clifford Odets’ 1935 play, “Awake and Sing!,” on Broadway this winter. The Manhattan Theatre Club production, directed by Tyne Rafaeli, will begin previews in December at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre and open in January 2027. Additional casting and creative team members will be announced at a later date.
“Awake and Sing!” takes place in the 1930s in the Bronx. New ideas clash with the old amidst the poverty and shattered promises of the Great Depression. And three generations of the Berger family, trapped inside their cramped tenement, struggle to hold different visions of an American dream.
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A 2026 Tony nominee for “Marjorie Prime,” Burstein made history as the most Tony-nominated male performer. He won the 2020 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance in “Moulin Rouge! The Musical.” His many Broadway credits include “Gypsy,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Cabaret,” “Follies,” “South Pacific” and “The Drowsy Chaperone.”
Hecht can currently be seen in “Dog Day Afternoon” on Broadway alongside Jon Bernthal and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. She has been nominated for three Tony Awards: for “A View from the Bridge,” “Summer, 1976” and most recently for “Eureka Day” in 2025. Her Broadway credits include “The Price,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Brighton Beach Memoirs” and “Julius Caesar.” Her notable television appearances include her Emmy-nominated performance in “Special, Friends” and “Breaking Bad.”
Shamos was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance in “Clybourne Park.” His Broadway appearances include “Meteor Shower,” “Noises Off,” “The Assembled Parties” and “Glengarry Glen Ross.” His film credits include “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “Bad Education,” “The Big Sick” and “Birdman.” Shamos’ television credits include “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Better Call Saul” and “Succession.”
“Awake and Sing!” joins the previously announced works of Manhattan Theatre Club’s 2026-27 season; “School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play” by Jocelyn Bioh and directed by Whitney White; “Montauk” by David Hare, starring Laura Linney and directed by Daniel Sullivan; and “The Unbelievers” by Nick Payne, directed by Knud Adams. Additional productions for MTC’s 2026-27 season will be announced at a later date.
This article previously appeared on Broadway.com.
