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Veteran actors Laurence Fishburne, Morgan Freeman, and James Earl Jones are currently headlining major theater productions on Broadway. Fishburne is undertaking the one man play on the life of the honorable Thurgood Marshall. Morgan Freeman headlines The Country Girl and James Earl Jones is part of the all star black cast for Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. Both Freeman and Jones are undertaking roles traditionally played by whites. 

Here’s what the New York Times had to say. 

[Thurgood] Marshall is akin to Mr. Fishburne’s many mentor-teacher figure roles, among them Furious Styles in “Boyz N the Hood” and Morpheus in the “Matrix” movies. In these roles, through his poised demeanor and his precise, confident intonation, Mr. Fishburne exudes intelligence and moral authority.  ~ Next on his Docket: A Supreme Challenge

 

[Freeman's]appearance in “The Country Girl” is especially noteworthy because his character, an actor who has lost his nerve, has no center whatsoever. Mr. Freeman is playing not only squarely against type, he has rarely, if ever, embodied uncertainty.   ~Driving Mr. Freeman Back on Stage

Mr. Jones is forced to play his character as a blustery but affectionate fellow whose vulgarity masks a good heart…   ~ Yet Another Life for Maggie the Cat