BroadwayHD and THIRTEEN Productions LLC for WNET to Capture Present Laughter for Fall 2017 Release

NEW YORK, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Online theater streaming service BroadwayHD and THIRTEEN Productions LLC for WNET will capture the Tony®-winning revival of Noël Coward's outrageously irresistible comedy Present Laughter starring Oscar- and three-time Tony® Award winner Kevin Kline. Seven high-definition cameras will capture this production at the St. James Theatre. Don't miss the opportunity to experience the hilarious production The Wall Street Journal calls, "a comedic triumph!"

"We're excited to capture this sensational revival of Present Laughter featuring a star-studded cast," said BroadwayHD co-founders, Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie Comley. "Kevin Kline gives a spectacular, definitive performance as Garry Essendine, earning his third Tony® Award for what is arguably the greatest leading man comedic role ever written. He is matched by Kate Burton, Kristine Nielsen and Cobie Smulders and the entire cast of this hilarious production that we frankly can't wait to bring to audiences around the world."

"As our thrilling limited engagement comes to an end on Broadway, we are all so excited to be partnering with THIRTEEN/WNET and BroadwayHD to preserve our beloved production for audiences around the world and for years to come," said Jordan Roth, lead producer of Present Laughter on Broadway. "Now our Laughter will always be Present!"

Starting this fall, BroadwayHD subscribers can stream Present Laughter on BroadwayHD.com, Chromecast and BroadwayHD's Roku, Apple TV, iPad, iPhone and Android mobile apps. Present Laughter marks legendary Academy Award^® and Tony Award^® winner Kevin Kline's eagerly awaited return to Broadway. Kline's performance in Present Laughter earned him the best actor honors at the 2017 Tony Awards, Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Awards. The spectacular cast is headed by three-time Tony^® and Emmy^® Award nominee Kate Burton (Scandal, Grey's Anatomy), Tony Award^® nominee Kristine Nielsen (Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike), and Cobie Smulders (How I Met Your Mother, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back) in her Broadway debut, with direction by Tony Award^® nominee Moritz von Stuelpnagel (Hand to God). It is directed for the screen by David Horn.

The incredible ensemble of Present Laughter also includes Matt Bittner, Ellen Harvey, Peter Francis James, Tedra Millan, Bhavesh Patel, Reg Rogers and Sandra Shipley, with Kelley Curran, Rachel Pickup, James Riordan, and David L. Townsend. The creative team for Present Laughter features set design by Tony Award^® winner David Zinn, costume design by Tony Award^® winner Susan Hilferty, lighting design by two-time Tony Award^® nominee Justin Townsend, sound design by Fitz Patton, and hair design by Josh Marquette. Casting by Telsey + Company.

For BroadwayHD, Present Laughter is a welcome addition to the theater streaming service's video on demand library, joining titles like She Loves Me, Daddy Long Legs, On The Exhale, Disney's Broadway Hits, and most recently, Ernest Shackleton Loves Me. This summer, BroadwayHD will be adding multiple titles to its on-demand library including, If I Forget London's West End musical hit From Here to Eternity, The Man Who Came to Dinner starring Nathan Lane, and Long Day's Journey Into Night starring Alfred Molina and Jane Kacsmarek.

To purchase tickets for tonight's performance June 23 at 8:00 p.m. EDT to be in the audience for this special filming, visit LaughterOnBroadway.com. The production runs through Sunday, July 2.

ABOUT PRESENT LAUGHTER 
Present Laughter began performances at the St. James Theatre (246 West 44^th Street) on March 10, 2017, and opened officially on Wednesday, April 5 to rave reviews. Present Laughter ends its strictly-limited engagement on Sunday, July 2.  For more information, visit www.LaughterOnBroadway.com.

Present Laughter follows a self-obsessed actor in the midst of a mid-life crisis. Juggling his considerable talent, ego and libido, the theater's favorite leading man suddenly finds himself caught between fawning ingénues, crazed playwrights, secret trysts and unexpected twists.

Present Laughter was nominated for three 2017 Tony Awards^® including Best Revival of a Play, and the Tony^® winner of Best Leading Actor in a Play (Kevin Kline). It also received: three nominations from the Drama League Awards: Best Revival of a Play, and two Distinguished Performance Award nominations (Kevin Kline and Kate Burton); the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play (Kline) plus nominations for Outstanding Costume Design for a Play (Susan Hilferty) and Outstanding Wig and Hair (Josh Marquette); and Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play (Kline) and a nomination for Outstanding Costume Design (Hilferty). Additionally, Cobie Smulders won the Theatre World Award for Outstanding Broadway Debut.

Present Laughter is produced by Jordan Roth, Jujamcyn Theaters, Spencer Ross, A.C. Orange International, Eric Falkenstein, Grove Entertainment, Bruce Robert Harris and Jack W. Batman, Stephanie P. McClelland, Harbor Entertainment, Joe Everett Michaels / Robert F. Ryan, Daryl Roth.

ABOUT BROADWAYHD 
Since launch in 2015, BroadwayHD aims to extend the reach of Broadway-caliber productions to theater fans all over the world. BroadwayHD is the only online streaming service of its kind, offering Broadway to all through an unprecedented theater experience. In addition to exclusive live streamed content, BroadwayHD offers subscribers unlimited on-demand access to a library of over 190 theater productions from the comfort and convenience of their own homes – or wherever streaming is possible. It's the Broadway you know and love, curated from the stage to your screen. 

ABOUT WNET 
WNET is America's flagship PBS station and parent company of THIRTEEN and WLIW21. WNET also operates NJTV, the statewide public media network in New Jersey. Through its broadcast channels, three cable services (THIRTEEN PBSKids, Create and World) and online streaming sites, WNET brings quality arts, education and public affairs programming to more than five million viewers each week. WNET produces and presents such acclaimed PBS series as Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, PBS NewsHour Weekend, Charlie Rose and a range of documentaries, children's programs, and local news and cultural offerings. WNET's groundbreaking series for children and young adults include Get the Math, Oh Noah! and Cyberchase as well as Mission US, the award-winning interactive history game. WNET highlights the tri-state's unique culture and diverse communities through Theater Close-Up,  NYC-ARTS, Reel 13, NJTV News with Mary Alice Williams and MetroFocus, the daily multi-platform news magazine focusing on the New York region. In addition, WNET produces online-only programming including the award-winning series about gender, First Person, and an intergenerational look at tech and pop culture, The Chatterbox with Kevin and Grandma Lill. In 2015, THIRTEEN launched Passport, an online streaming service which allows members to see new and archival THIRTEEN and PBS programming anytime, anywhere: www.thirteen.org/passport.

SOURCE BroadwayHD

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