Jay Ellis, Stephanie Nur to star in ‘Duke & Roya’ off Broadway

The new play by Charles Randolph-Wright will run at the Lucille Lortel Theatre for a limited time this summer, with performances beginning in June.

Jay Ellis and Stephanie Nur will star in the new play Duke & Roya off Broadway this summer. Performances run at the Lucille Lortel Theatre for 11 weeks only beginning June 10, with opening night on June 24.

Ellis (NAACP Image Award for Insecure; Top Gun: Maverick) and Nur (My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, Lioness) play the titular roles of two people who fall in love in war-torn Afghanistan. One is an emerging hip-hop artist, the other an Afghan interpreter, and they fight to navigate romance amid political unrest and religious differences.

Also in the cast are Noma Dumezweni, an Olivier Award winner and Tony Award nominee for originating the role of Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, as Desiree, and Dariush Kashani, whose Broadway credits include Oslo and The Band’s Visit, as Sayeed.

Warren Adams directs and produces Duke & Roya off Broadway. Grammy winner John Legend is a co-producer of the show alongside Laura Ivey, Janet Brenner, Smada Media, Mike Jackson, and Ty Stiklorius.

“We're thrilled to be producers on Duke & Roya — a daring and provocative work of art that is filled with humanity, compassion, and love," Legend, Jackson, and Stiklorius said in a statement. “Jay Ellis and Stephanie Nur are exceptionally talented actors, and we’re so excited to present this play to New York audiences this summer.”

Additional creative team members have yet to be announced.

Photo credit: Stephanie Nur and Jay Ellis. (Photo by Benji Rivera)