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While Jesse Williams took an exit from ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, he certainly entered Broadway and is now gearing up for his opening show at the Hayes Theatre in New York City after being delayed for almost two years.
Jesse is going to star alongside Patrick J. Adams from ‘Suits’ and Jesse Tyler Ferguson from ‘Modern Family’ in the Broadway revival of ‘Take Me Out'. Take Me Out is a play written by Tony Award-winning Richard Greenberg and surrounds the topic of baseball and homophobia. Scott Ellis is directing the Broadway show.
Take Me Out appeared on Broadway in 2003, follows baseball player Darren Lemming (will be played by Jesse Williams) and his decision to come out of the closet which leads to controversies and soul searching for the players along with the viewers. Being met with some hostility and fraught friendships, Darren is forced to confront the reality of being a gay person of color in society. When Jesse Williams was finalized for playing Darren Lemming, he said at the time, “I’m incredibly honored by the opportunity to expand on such a profound narrative. The questions and challenges presented by Richard’s material are critical and seemingly boundless; cutting to the core of ‘masculinity marketing.’ What are we really, if our peace is so easily threatened by the peace of others?”
Scott Ellis said, “Richard’s Tony award winning play is as relevant today as it was 20 years ago. I have the honor of directing the revival next Spring on Broadway. To also have the opportunity to adapt Take Me Out to a limited television series, only means reaching a broader audience, and it just underscores the immense respect our whole team has for the material.”
The three incredible actors recently spoke to Entertainment Tonight where they shared that not only Jesse Williams and Patrick J. Adams are going to make their Broadway debuts but are also going to go fully nude for the show. They said, “This has gotta be the smartest play that involves nudity. There’s something about it, it’s so fully integrated into the play. When I first heard about Take Me Out, and I just heard naked guys in a play, you sort of make assumptions that maybe it’s sort of gratuitous or not necessary. But with this play, it’s so fully integrated into the fabric of really what it’s about: people being stripped bare and getting down to the basics. It’s kind of great in that way. You feel like you’re servicing such a beautiful play.”
Patrick J. Adams also adds that it’s sad that nothing much has changed in two decades and that is one of the reasons why ‘Take Me Out’ today is even more relevant. He said, “We’re drawing attention to the fact that even though this play is 20 years old, we’re basically still in the same circumstance.” While Jesse Tyler Ferguson adds, “When I saw this play, it was very timely. But I thought, ‘Probably in two years it won’t be anymore’. And here we are [20] years later, and racism and homophobia are still very relevant.”
Sharing about their friends and family to come and watch the play Patrick who had stripped down during a Los Angeles production of ‘9 Circles’ shared that Meghan Markle was there at the show and made fun of him later but he’d love for her to come to see the show. Jesse Tyler Ferguson joked that his family from ‘Modern Family’ has been banned only to add later, “If they can come, I’d love to have them. People’s lives have changed a lot these last few years with [all the] families that have happened.” Ferguson who welcomed a baby boy during the pandemic shared, “I know that fatherhood is something you can’t control and you can’t prepare for. “ He jokes, “when my baby cries, a handler doesn’t come in and take them away, which is something that was really nice on the set of Modern Family.”
Patrick J. Adams lastly adds about waiting for almost two years for the show opening, “I don’t know about these guys, but I’ve spent the last two years of having this play jump around in my head not knowing if it ever was going to be something we put on stage and say out loud. So, it’s just a relief to finally be in the room will all the same people and pick up where we left off.” Jesse Williams adds, “Yeah, one of the privileges is we’ve met and worked on it for a few weeks. So, now when we re-approach it, it’s not going into this great mystery. We have a sense of each other, we have some camaraderie, we’ve gotten to know each other better, which helps team chemistry. And the world has changed, and I think a lot of us have and have matured differently.”
Jesse Tyler Ferguson added, “Excitement is an understatement. We’ve all been thinking about this play for a very long time… It’s nice to come back now knowing that we’re in a different place and able to move forward.”
Take Me Out begins March 10th, 2022 at the Hayes Theatre in New York City.
