Video: Steven Skybell Reveals What Lies Beneath AFTERMATH

Tony Award nominee Steven Skybell is returning to the Off-Broadway stage in Aftermath, a new play by David Zaks, directed by Colton Pometa. Ahead of the production’s New York premiere, Skybell caught up with BroadwayWorld’s Richard Ridge to discuss the gripping family drama, reuniting with a longtime friend, and more.

Set in 2011, Aftermath follows a family struggling to move forward after their son, a journalist, returns home from Afghanistan following a harrowing kidnapping by the Taliban. As he attempts to readjust to everyday life, revelations surrounding his release threaten to tear the family apart.

“The thing that grabs me about it is that it is subtly about the possible fracturing of this family as certain truths are revealed in terms of how the son was released by the Taliban,” Skybell explained. “As each revelation is made, the family gets more and more fractured among each other. […] But ultimately, it’s an emotional story about parents and their child and what can happen.”

Skybell stars opposite longtime friend Jill Stern, whom he has known since 1976. The cast also includes Danny Kornfeld and Awesta Zarif. Skybell, who recently earned a Tony nomination for his performance in Cabaret and won acclaim for his portrayal of Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish, was immediately drawn to Zaks’ script.

And while the play tackles weighty political themes, Skybell says audiences can expect plenty of suspense along the way.

“It was a page turner when I was reading it,” he shared. “I keep using the word suspense and thriller about it, even though it’s not really that, but the way it’s written, there is something very suspenseful as things are made known.”