Robert Downey Jr. felt all kinds of love and support on Monday night, September 30, as he appeared at the opening of the new Broadway play McNeal.
The actor, 59, plays the lead in the new play, and was supported by several of his close friends as well as other Hollywood stars, although none more special than his wife Susan Downey
Robert wore a sharp black blazer with matching pants and a white collarless button down underneath, while Susan, 50, stunned in a black leather dress with spaghetti straps and knit floral detailing, with peekaboos just under the bust area.
The couple couldn’t stop from fawning over each other on the carpet, posing hand-in-hand for photos ahead of the Oscar-winning star’s big night as he was poised for his Broadway debut.
He later appeared on stage for a final curtain call after the show, beaming and blowing kisses out into the crowd as they gave the company a standing ovation after their debut performance.
Several of the star’s close friends were also in attendance at the show, including Paul Rudd, Justin Theroux with his fiancée Nicole Brydon Bloom, Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Matt Damon.
© Getty ImagesOther celebrities who stopped by include F. Murray Abraham, Steven Spielberg and his family, Oscar Isaac, George Stephanopoulos and Ali Wentworth, Marvel director Anthony Russo, and more.
Robert was last on stage for a production of American Passion at the Joyce Theatre in NYC, Off-Broadway, though that show closed as quickly as it opened. His involvement with Pulitzer Prize winner Ayad Akhtar’s McNeal was announced in May. Take a look at some of the stars at the premiere below…
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© Getty ImagesThe Boys!
Matt Damon, Justin Theroux, Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Paul Rudd join Susan Downey
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© Getty ImagesDate night
George Stephanopoulos and Ali Wentworth
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© Getty ImagesFamily night
Susan with Steven Spielberg, Kate Capshaw, and their son Sawyer Spielberg with his wife Raye
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© Getty ImagesMaking a splash
F. Murray Abraham
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© Getty ImagesTaking a bow
Robert and the company of “McNeal” take a bow after their first show
The play is also being produced in collaboration with Team Downey, the entertainment company run by Robert and Susan, which makes the project a true labor of love. Previews began earlier in September and the play’s limited run will conclude on November 24.
The Marvel star shared the big news on social media, excitedly penning: “I am making my Broadway debut in the new play MCNEAL at Lincoln Center Theater!”
© Getty Images“I knew I wanted to do Ayad’s new play before I was done reading it, then hearing Bart would be directing at the Beaumont theater sealed the deal. It’s been 40 years since I was last on ‘the boards’, but hopefully I’ll knock the dust off quick. MCNEAL is a timely and important story about the future of creatives, and I intend to do it justice.”
MORE: Robert Downey Jr.’s wife Susan reveals major misconception about their 18-year marriage
Per Deadline, the synopsis for the play, which is heavily inspired by the current AI boom, reads: “Good writers borrow, great writers steal. Jacob McNeal is a great writer, one of our greatest, a perpetual candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature.”
© Getty Images“But McNeal also has an estranged son, a new novel, old axes to grind and an unhealthy fascination with Artificial Intelligence. Pulitzer Prize-winner Ayad Akhtar’s new play is a startling and wickedly smart examination of the inescapable humanity – and increasing inhumanity – of the stories we tell.”