Jake Gyllenhaal Goes Back to Broadway in Lanford Wilson's 'Burn This'

Actor Jake Gyllenhaal will make his Broadway return next year when he debuts as lead character Pale in Lanford Wilson's subversive Burn This.

To be helmed by Tony Award-winning director Michael Mayer, the play will mark its first-ever revival at Ambassador Theatre Group's Hudson Theatre when it opens on March 6, 2017. Previews are slated to begin the previous month.

Fans of Jake Gyllenhaal from his inspired film performances in modern classics like Donnie Darko and Jarhead will be sure to enjoy the actor's latest turn on Broadway.

In an interview with Time Out, Gyllenhaal expounded on his reasons for taking parts on Broadway and how they stack up to his various movie roles:

"A few years ago I said to myself, Why don't you go to the places you really love to be? The theater is one of those places. The stage makes you home in on skills that can get neglected while making movies. For me, being onstage is a piece of the puzzle that is learning the craft of acting."

Per the New York Times, Burn This first premiered on the Great White Way back in the late '80s:

"Mr. Gyllenhaal will star in Burn This, a play by Lanford Wilson that had a previous run on Broadway, from 1987 to 1988, when it starred John Malkovich and Joan Allen (who won a Tony award for her performance)."

Broadway.com divulge the particulars of the play's incendiary storyline in a recent report:

"Burn This centers on four New Yorkers whose lives are uprooted by a young dancer's accidental death. Set in downtown New York in the raw and gritty 1980s, the combustible drama explores the spiritual and emotional isolation of Pale and Anna, two iconoclasts who are brought together in the wake of a life-changing event."

Below, watch a YouTube recap of the recent Gyllenhaal-Broadway news made by Splash News:

We want to hear from you. What's your favorite Jake Gyllenhaal film? Have you ever seen the actor perform in a play? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

TagsBurn This, Jake Gyllenhaal, Lanford Wilson, Michael Mayer, John Malkovich, Joan Allen