Geffen Playhouse, Los Angeles

Lights Out: Nat "King" Cole

Written by Colman Domingo & Patricia McGregor
Directed by Patricia McGregor
Music Supervision by John McDaniel
Choreography by Edgar Godineaux
Tap and Additional Choreography by Jared Grimes

In this highly theatrical exploration into the soul of an American icon, Tony and Olivier Award-nominee Colman Domingo and Patricia McGregor imagine Nat "King" Cole as he faces the final Christmastime broadcast of his groundbreaking variety show and weighs the advice of his friend Sammy Davis Jr. to "go out with a bang." Songs such as "Nature Boy," "It's a Good Day" and "Unforgettable" underscore this innovative look at one of America's greatest talents. Starring Emmy Award-nominee Dulé Hill (West Wing, Stick Fly, Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk) as Nat "King" Cole and Daniel J. Watts (Hamilton, Memphis) as Sammy Davis Jr.

February 5 - March 24, 2019

GIl Cates Theater

Black Super Hero Magic Mama

Written by Inda Craig-Galván
Directed by Robert O'Hara

In a comic book world from the mind of a 14-year-old boy, Sabrina becomes superhero Maasai Angel to take on her arch villains. Enter Lady Vulture, Human Hyena and more. Compared to the pain of her real world, this battle is child’s play.

March 5 - April 14, 2019

Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater

The Niceties

Written by Eleanor Burgess
Directed by Kimberly Senior
Featuring Lisa Banes & Jordan Boatman

In this “barnburner of a play” (The Washington Post), two extraordinary women square off in a high-stakes academic debate over race, reputation and who gets the final word on how American history is written. When university professor Janine and her brilliant student Zoe don’t see eye to eye, their routine office hours discussion unexpectedly careens off course—and threatens to derail their careers, lives and the status quo.

April 9 - May 12, 2019

GIl Cates Theater

Backstage at the Geffen

Join us on Sunday, May 19, 2019 as we honor Harry Belafonte and Lily Tomlin to help raise much needed funds to support the Geffen Playhouse’s artistic initiatives and Education and Community Engagement programs, which serve more than 15,000 disadvantaged youth, students, veterans, seniors and community members each year.

Sunday, May 19, 2019

Invisible Tango

Created & Performed by Helder Guimarães
Directed by Frank Marshall

Magic sensation Helder Guimarães returns to the Geffen with the world premiere of his one-man show, Invisible Tango. Directed by legendary film producer and director Frank Marshall (Jurassic World, Indiana Jones, Goonies, Back to the Future), Invisible Tango explores the nature of secrets and how far we are willing to go to discover them. In the midst of the information age and our culture of over-sharing, Guimarães challenges our interaction with the unknown and explores how we can embrace the magic of wonder and mystery. Guimarães last amazed and charmed Geffen audiences in the smash hit Nothing to Hide, the two-man magic show that extended four times before transferring to New York.

May 7 - June 16, 2019

Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater

Mysterious Circumstances

Written by Michael Mitnick
Inspired by The New Yorker article "Mysterious Circumstances: The Strange Death of a Sherlock Holmes Fanatic" by David Grann
Directed by Matt Shakman

Based on a true story, Richard Lancelyn Green, the world's foremost scholar on Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is found dead in his London apartment. With multiple suspects and competing motives, Green's death raises questions that may be answered only by Holmes himself. Inspired by The New Yorker article by David Grann (The Lost City of Z, Killers of the Flower Moon), this world premiere play by Michael Mitnick (Drama Desk Award nominee for Fly By Night, The Siegel) is an ode to literature's most cerebral detective and a meditation on the line between love and obsession.

June 11 - July 14, 2019

GIl Cates Theater

2019/2020 Season

Join us for the 2019/2020 Geffen Playhouse season, which features a visionary line-up of hilarious comedies, tried-and-true classics and brand new theatrical experiences that will thrill and delight audiences. This season, we welcome to our stage Tony Award winner Idina Menzel (Rent, Wicked), Emmy Award nominee Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones) and Academy Award nominee Andy Garcia (Ocean’s Eleven), starring in a parade of not-to-be-missed productions of some of the most innovative theater happening anywhere!

August 20, 2019 - July 19, 2020