Off-B'way Update: Sean Hayes; New Group

Sean Hayes 
will star in The Unknown
at Studio Seaview.

Tony, Emmy and SAG winner Sean Hayes (Will and Grace, Good Night, Oscar) will return to the New York stage in The Unknown, a solo play by Obie winner David Cale (Lillian, Deep in a Dream of You), at Studio Seaview with previews beginning Jan. 31, 2026, opening on Feb. 12 for a limited run through April 12. Tony nominee Leigh Silverman (Suffs, Violet) directs. Hayes plays a blocked writer retreating to an isolated cabin only to discover he may not be alone.

Director Leigh Silverman said, “David Cale is a masterful storyteller and I am thrilled to be embarking on our third collaboration with The Unknown. 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.”

Playwright David Cale said, "I'm thrilled by the inspired pairing of the brilliant Sean Hayes with my solo thriller, and to be collaborating again with the great Leigh Silverman."

New Group Season: In other Off-Broadway news, The Group has announced in 2026 season and its new permanent home. The company which has been presenting its work in various venues including the Signature Theater Pershing Center, will now take up residence at the theater at St. Clement's, having signed a 30-year lease with the church. The company will present Preston Cowder's Bocking (summer 2026), Adam Rapp's Jackals (fall 2026) and Elmer Rice's The Adding Machine (winter 2026).

Milo O'Shea and Billie Whitelaw in 
the film version of The Adding Machine (1969)

Bocking is a sex farce about two parents called to the principal's office for their bedroom behavior. Jackals  is set in a pandemic-blighted Middle American city in the not-so-distant future. Single mother Orla must choose between a better life for herself or her 14 year old, whose ticket out may be the only commodity left: his immune system. The Adding Machine, a satirical fantasy, premiered in 1923 and concerns Mr. Zero who is replaced at his accounting job by a machine and acts out violently. Milo O'Shea, Billie Whitelaw, and Phyllis Diller starred in the 1969 movie version. A musical version opened Off-Broadway in 2008.