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Sean Hayes will make his return to the New York stage early next year, starring in The Unknown, a one-man play by award-winning playwright David Cale. The Off Broadway production will take over Studio Seaview on January 31, 2026, ahead of a February 12, 2026, opening, and will run for a strictly limited 10-week engagement through April 12, 2026. Tickets are already on sale here.
The play centers on Elliott, a writer who retreats to a remote cabin in hopes of curing his writer’s block—only to realize he may not be alone. “As the boundaries between his work and his life collapse, Elliot begins to question everything he knows,” reads the thriller’s official synopsis.
“David Cale is a masterful storyteller and I am thrilled to be embarking on our third collaboration with The Unknown,” said director Leigh Silverman in an official statement. “We are joined by the charismatic, dynamic Sean Hayes, an imaginative design team and visionary producers, and I can’t wait to share this enthralling show with audiences.”
Although best known for playing the always-hilarious Jack McFarland on NBC’s Will & Grace—a role that earned him a slew of awards—Hayes is no stranger to the stage. He made his Broadway debut in 2010 as Chuck Baxter in the revival of the musical Promises, Promises, earning a Tony nomination for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. In 2016, he returned to Broadway in the comedy An Act of God.
Beyond the stage, Hayes co-hosts the world’s number-one comedy podcast, SmartLess, and appears in this year’s comedy-drama Is This Thing On, directed by fellow actor Bradley Cooper.
Clearly, Hayes is busy—and things are only about to get busier.