NEW YORK (AP) -- Producers of a new play inspired by the Jayson Blair plagiarism scandal at The New York Times have found the actor who will play the disgraced ex-journalist.

The Atlantic Theater Company said Wednesday that Kobi Libii will play a Blair-like Times reporter in the world premiere of Gabe McKinley‘s play ``CQ/CX.’‘

Libii, a Yale graduate and alumnus of Second City in Chicago, was in ``Perfect Harmony’‘ at the Acorn Theatre and ``The Tempest’‘ at the Porpentine Theater.

The rest of the cast includes Larry Bryggman, Peter Jay Fernandez, Tim Hopper, Arliss Howard, David Pittu, Steve Rosen and Sheila Tapia. Tony Award-nominated David Leveaux, who recently directed Tom Stoppard’s ``Arcadia‘’ on Broadway, will direct the new play.

Previews begin Jan. 25 and an official opening is set for Feb. 15. The play will run until March 4 at Signature Theatre Company‘s Peter Norton Space while Atlantic’s main stage gets renovated.

Producers describe the play as a ``revealing and complex story about the collateral damage of unchecked ambition and compounded lies.‘’

McKinley was a former news assistant at the Times who overlapped with Blair. His other plays include ``Extinction,‘’ ``The Kitchen Sink Play‘’ and ``Welcome Home Rock Rogers.‘’

Blair resigned from the Times in 2003 after an investigation found he had plagiarized or fabricated major portions of articles he had written during four years with the newspaper.







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Kobi Libii



(AP-Yonhap News)