Alex Tisdale 
Right to left: Adrien Brody & Tessa Thompson/Photo credit: Adrien Brody's Instagram account/Tessa Thompson's Instagram account
Two-time Oscar winner Adrien Brody and Emmy nominee Tessa Thompson are stepping into Broadway this year. These two actors will make their first debut in the spring, starring in Lindsay Ferrentino’s new play, The Fear of 13.
Directed by Tony Award-winner David Cromer, the Broadway play’s previews are set to begin March 19 and officially open April 15 at the James Earl Jones Theatre in New York. Producers for this play will also include Seaview, Wessex, Grove, and Gavin Kalin Productions.
The Fear of 13 is based on a true story where Brody‘s character, Nick Yarris, is sentenced to death in Pennsylvania for a crime he didn’t commit. The story follows Yaris, who spends two decades on death row before being exonerated. Throughout the play, both Yaris and Thompson’s character, Jackie, who is a volunteer, go through difficult conversations and go through hoops to get justice. It also sheds light on how many innocent people are in jail for wrongful convictions, and also with the goal of freeing people.
“The perilous distance between true freedom, and the illusion of self-determination,” said one press release.
This isn’t the first time this play has appeared on stage. Back in 2024, it premiered at the Donmar Warehouse in London. Brody was nominated for the Olivier Award for this performance alone. Not only that, the drama itself won the London Evening Standard Award for Best New Play.
Brody has been very successful in the entertainment industry, he’s won awards for his roles in The Brutalist and The Pianist and he was nominated for an Emmy three times for his performances in productions, including Houdini and Succession.
Thompson isn’t a stranger to succession either; she earned an Emmy nomination for her performance in Sylvie’s Love. Most recently, she received a Golden Globe award for her performance in Hedda.
The writer behind Fear of 13 also wrote The Queen of Versailles and Amy and the Orphans. Producers of this play have also been partnering with the Innocence Project, which has helped free or exonerate more than 250 people since 1992. The program’s executive director, Christina Swann, was one of Yarris’ attorneys.
Even though the official play is set to begin in April, the official cast has not yet been announced. The cast will be announced as more information about the show’s partnership with the Innocent Project becomes available.
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Brandon Foley 
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