Now that Lupita Nyong’o can cross starring in an epic blockbuster franchise off her checklist with her anticipated role in the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the Oscar winner is tackling New York theater.
The 32-year-old Mexico-born Kenyan beauty will star in Public Theater’s off-Broadway production of Eclipsed. The play is written by Danai Gurira, who TV fans know as samurai sword-wielding Michonne on “The Walking Dead.” Nyong’o will make her New York stage debut in the production, which is also the play’s NYC premiere.
Eclipsed is set during the Liberian Civil War and follows the captive wives of a rebel officer. “Danai Gurira has written a brilliant play, ripped from the headlines, that looks at the terrible conflicts in post-colonial Africa with an eye that is both incisive and deeply compassionate,” Public Theater artistic director Oskar Eustis said in a statement released on Thursday.
“A feminist reading of the Liberian Civil War, a war that was ended by women, Eclipsed is both heart-breaking and profoundly life-affirming. We are delighted to welcome the extraordinary Lupita Nyong’o to The Public in this vitally important play,” Eustis’ statement continued.
A graduate of the Yale School of Drama, Nyongo’s stage credits include playing Perdita in The Winter’s Tale and Sonya in Uncle Vanya both at Yale Repertory Theater. Eclipsed will begin previews Sept. 29, with a big opening night on Oct. 14.
For more details surrounding her big New York Broadway debut, stay tuned.
