Jeremy Strong, who just won a Tony Award for his performance in the Broadway revival of “An Enemy of the People,” is but one of many former cast members of the hit HBO drama “Succession” who have done New York theater, some of whom have extensive theater backgrounds. A few are currently appearing onstage and others will follow soon.
Brian Cox (Logan Roy): Right before the pandemic shutdown, Cox, who has extensive training in classical acting, played President Lyndon Johnson in the historical drama “The Great Society.” Taking on LBJ’s distinctive Southern accent, Cox gave a high intensity performance in which he devolves from swaggering pomp to pleading for help. This year, Cox headlined a London revival of Eugene O’Neill’s “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” alongside Patricia Clarkson.
Jeremy Strong (Kendall Roy): Strong’s sensitive and manic performance in “An Enemy of the People” (in which he played a doctor who stands up to his community) was not unlike a variation of Kendall – smart, flawed, and insular. Strong made his Broadway debut back in 2008 in a supporting role in a revival of “A Man for All Seasons” with Frank Langella. That same year, Strong made a strong impression as the philosopher Baruch De Spinoza in David Ives’ “New Jerusalem,” which played Off-Broadway’s Classic Stage Company. (Strong even remained onstage and in character during intermission.)
Kieran Culkin (Roman Roy): Back in 2014, Culkin appeared with Michael Cera in a Broadway revival of Kenneth Lonergan’s “This Is Our Youth,” playing a young New Yorker who embodied 1980s materialism. Culkin also appeared Off-Broadway nearly two decades ago as a roller-skating youth in Eric Bogosian’s “subUrbia” at Second Stage.
Sarah Snook (Shiv Roy): Rumor has it that Snook will make her Broadway debut next season in a one-person version of Oscar Wilde’s “The Picture of Dorian Gray” which was previously a hot ticket in London.
Alan Ruck (Connor Roy): Ruck made his Broadway debut back in 1985 in Neil Simon’s “Biloxi Blues” and, two decades later, joined the cast of “The Producers” as a replacement Leo Bloom.
Peter Friedman (COO Frank Vernon): Friedman’s Broadway and Off-Broadway credits are numerous, dating back to 1972, but he is probably best remembered for originating the role of Tateh in the musical “Ragtime.” In 2017, he was a firm, business-minded Polonius in an excellent production of “Hamlet” at the Public Theater. This summer, he will return to Broadway in the two-hander psychological drama “Job.” Friedman’s co-star in “Job,” Sydney Lemmon, also appeared on the second season of “Succession” as a stage actress.
Smith-Cameron(general counsel Gerri Kellman): Smith-Cameron has appeared extensively on the stage, including Off-Broadway appearances at the Public Theater, Irish Repertory Theatre, and Playwrights Horizons. Later this year, she will appear in a London revival of the Irish drama “Juno and the Paycock” with Mark Rylance.
David Rasche (CFO Karl Muller): Another stage veteran with decades of credits, Rasche’s most recent productions include Donald Margulies’ “The Country House” (in which he played a Hollywood director who went on a rant about the pretentiousness of theater people) and an Off-Broadway revival of Thornton Wilder’s “The Skin of Our Teeth.”
Natalie Gold (Kendall’s ex-wife Rava Roy): Gold is currently appearing on Broadway in the acclaimed dark family comedy “Appropriate” as the uncomfortable wife of one of the three siblings at the center of the play.
Juliana Canfield (Kendall’s assistant Jess Jordan): Canfield just received a Tony Award nomination for her performance in the studio recording drama “Succession,” which follows earlier Off-Broadway appearances at Theatre for a New Audience, Playwrights Horizons, and Atlantic Theater Company.
Zoe Winters (Logan’s assistant Kerry Castellabate): Prior to the pandemic, Winters appeared regularly Off-Broadway in plays by high-profile writers such as Will Arbery’s “Heroes of the Fourth Turning” (playing a provocative right-wing writer), Suzan-Lori Parks’ “White Noise,” Samuel D. Hunter’s “The Harvest,” and Lucas Hnath’s “Red Speedo.”
Arian Moayed (Kendall’s friend Stewy Hosseini): Moayed has received Tony Award nominations for his performances in “Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo” and, last season, “A Doll’s House” (as the obsessive and condescending husband Torvald) and has also appeared in the acclaimed dramas “Guards at the Taj” and “The Humans.”
Let us also not forget the numerous other stage actors who turned up in recurring roles on “Succession” including Cherry Jones, Harriet Walter, Justin Kirk, Hope Davis, Larry Pine, Linda Emond, Mark Linn-Baker, and Eric Bogosian.
