Daniel Sullivan Retires After 55 Years; Jonathan Kent Takes Over Montauk

Daniel Sullivan, the director who won a Tony Award in 2001, has announced his retirement after a 55-year career in the theater, Deadline reported.

Sullivan was set to direct David Hare's Montauk, starring Laura Linney, for Manhattan Theatre Club. Now the company has named Jonathan Kent to direct the play's world premiere, meaning the first time it will be staged anywhere. Kent will take Sullivan's place.

The show's calendar has not changed. Performances are set to begin March 30, 2027, at MTC's Broadway venue, and the play opens April 19, 2027. Performances are the paid shows that come before opening night, when the production still adjusts its staging and timing. The gap between the first performance and opening night is 20 days.

Sullivan's name is tied to MTC's work. He directed 20 shows for the company on Broadway and Off-Broadway, according to Deadline. His 2001 Tony came for David Auburn's Proof.

Manhattan Theatre Club runs the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on Broadway and two stages at New York City Center, according to the company's website. The company says it was led for more than five decades by Lynne Meadow and Barry Grove.

For a general reader, a director's job is hard to see from the seats. The director shapes how actors move, how scenes build, and how a play sounds from row Z. A new director joining a production in the middle of its planning means a new set of decisions before the first audience arrives.

The story also marks the end of a long working life. Fifty-five years in the theater covers many productions, many casts, and many theaters, and Sullivan's announcement closes that run in his own words, as reported by Deadline.

Broadway productions run on a tight schedule, and this one still has a first performance on the books in the spring. What happens next will show up in the company's announcements, the cast list, and the ticket calendar.