A new play starring Insecure’s Jay Ellis and Stephanie Nur will premiere Off-Broadway this summer.
The play, Duke & Roya, is written by Charles Randolph-Wright, the playwright behind Blue, with Get Lifted Film Co.’s John Legend, Mike Jackson and Ty Stiklorius attached as producers. Warren Adams, who recently directed Superhero Off-Broadway, will direct.
Duke & Roya is slated to run at the Lucille Lortel Theatre starting June 10, with an opening night on June 24. The play is set for an 11-week run at the theater.
Duke & Roya follows a love story between Duke, an American hip-hop star and Roya, an Afghan interpreter, who meet in Kabul and work to navigate their burgeoning relationship through the realities of their two different worlds.
In addition to Ellis and Nur, Duke & Roya will star Olivier Award winner and Tony nominee Noma Dumezweni, who appeared onstage in the original Broadway cast of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and in the television shows Only Murders in the Building and Presumed Innocent and Dariush Kashani, who has appeared on Broadway in Oslo and The Band’s Visit.
Ellis is best known for his role as Lawrence in HBO’s Insecure. He most recently starred in the Mindy Kaling series Running Point on Netflix, and appeared in Top Gun: Maverick.
Nur appeared in season one of Taylor Sheridan’s Paramount+ series Lioness, and is set to appear opposite Anthony Hopkins in Netflix and DJ Caruso’s upcoming Biblical period piece, Mary.
Laura Ivey, Janet Brenner and Smada Media are also producers of the play.
“We’re thrilled to be producers on Duke & Roya – a daring and provocative work of art that is filled with humanity, compassion, and love,” said Legend, Jackson and Stiklorius. “Jay Ellis and Stephanie Nur are exceptionally talented actors, and we’re so excited to present this play to New York audiences this summer.”