After a lengthy and extensive series of renovations that have seen the 95 year old Cort Theatre revamped and ready to take on more challenging productions, the Broadway theatre will be renamed in honour of stage, screen and Disney legend (and the man behind the voice of Darth Vader) James Earl Jones.
Jones’s Broadway career began in 1957 and he played his first role at the Cort in 1958’s Sunrise at Campobello, later reappearing on that stage in the 2005 revival of On Golden Pond. Over the course of his 64-year theater career, he earned Tony Awards for The Great White Hope and Fences, in addition to a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017. He has played 14 shows in Shubert-owned venues like the Cort, including The Gin Game, Driving Miss Daisy, You Can’t Take It With You, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
“For me standing in this very building sixty-four years ago at the start of my Broadway career, it would have been inconceivable that my name would be on the building today,” Jones said in a statement. “Let my journey from then to now be an inspiration for all aspiring actors.”
For an actor, can there be a higher honour? Congratulations to James, and we’ll be sure to bring any coverage of the dedication ceremony when it arrives.
