Grisham’s ‘A Time to Kill’ Opens at Broadway’s Golden Theatre October 20

Rupert Holmes’ stage adaptation of John Grisham’s A Time to Kill is coming to Broadway this fall. Producers announced that the play will officially open October 20, after beginning previews on September 28 at the John Golden Theatre.

The play is the first of Grisham’s extensive list of works to be adapted for the stage, and first premiered at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. in 2011. Ethan McSweeny directed that production, and is set to direct the Broadway version, as well.

“‘A Time to Kill’ brings you to a small, racially-divided Mississippi town, where a young black girl has just been attacked.” says the play’s official website. “When her father takes the law into his own hands, an ambitious white lawyer decides to take on the case with the odds stacked against them.”

“For almost a quarter of a century, ‘A Time to Kill’ has captivated readers with its raw exploration of race, retribution and justice,” said Grisham in a statement. “It was my first book and the first that I have allowed to be adapted for the theatre. Rupert Holmes did an excellent job of translating it from the page to the stage, and I am happy that not only my loyal readers, but a whole new audience will be able to experience this story in live theatre. I am looking forward to opening night on Broadway!”

The producers also added their thoughts in the statement.

“John Grisham’s endlessly gripping, perfectly-plotted storytelling is so well suited for the live theater, and we are thrilled to be bringing this first-ever stage adaptation of one his novels to Broadway,” the added. “Rupert Holmes has written an adaptation that masterfully replicates for theatergoers the page-turning thrill of reading a Grisham novel, while also honoring the powerful intimacy of its exploration of the injustices of our not-so-distant past. We look forward to audiences of all ages experiencing its essential message of equality, justice, and compassion for all.”

The book was also adapted into a successful 1996 film starring Samuel L. Jackson, Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock and Kevin Spacey.

Image Courtesy of Warner Bros.