George Clooney Transforms Into Edward R. Murrow in First Look at Broadway's Good Night, and Good Luck (Exclusive)

George Clooney is stepping into a new stage in his career, and PEOPLE has the exclusive first look at the Oscar-winning actor in action!

Nearly five decades into his decorated career, the actor, 63, is making his Broadway debut in Good Night, and Good Luck, the stage adaptation of the hit 2005 movie about CBS news journalist Edward R. Murrow's legendary 1954 exposé on Senator Joseph McCarthy.

The play, directed by Tony winner David Cromer, officially opens on Thursday, April 3 at the Winter Garden Theatre in New York City. But before the curtain goes up, PEOPLE can premiere official photos of the electrifying production.

Photographer Emilio Madrid snapped Clooney and his costars in performance, providing the pictures in black and white (fitting, given the play is set before color television came to prominence).

Though the shots aren't in color, Clooney's brown locks can be seen clearly. The famously silver-haired star dyed his 'do darker to match Murrow's — even though that meant he knew his wife, Amal, and their 7-year-old twins, Alexander and Ella, would mock him.

"My wife is going to hate it because nothing makes you look older than when an older guy dyes his hair," he said during an interview with The New York Times in February. "My kids are going to just laugh at me nonstop."

Other photos from the play show Clooney's costars, including Marvel icon Clark Gregg (as Don Hollenbeck), Billions alum Glenn Fleshler (as Fred Friendly), Snowfall star Carter Hudson (as Joe Wershba) and Broad City co-creator Ilana Glazer (as Shirley Wershba).

Other actors in the production include Mac Brandt (as Colonel Anderson), Will Dagger (as Don Hewitt), Christopher Denham (as John Aaron), Paul Gross (as William F. Paley), Georgia Heers (as Ella), Fran Kranz (as Palmer Williams), Jennifer Morris (as Millie Green), Michael Nathanson (as Eddie Scott), Andrew Polk (as Charlie Mack) and Aaron Roman Weiner (as Don Surine).

R. Ward Duffy, Joe Forbrich, Imani Rousselle, Greg Stuhr, JD Taylor, and Sophia Tzougros round out the ensemble. 

Clooney isn't just leading the cast of Good Night, and Good Luck, he's also co-written the play with Grant Heslov.

The two previously collaborated on the film's screenplay, nabbing a Best Original Screenplay Oscar nomination in the process. Clooney was also nominated that year for directing Good Night, and Good Luck, as well as for his supporting acting work in Syriana. The latter won Clooney his Oscar.

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During an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Tuesday, Feb 18, Clooney opened up about why now was the right time to bring Good Night, and Good Luck to Broadway — a play Colbert described as being about "a man in journalism standing up against both corporate and political interests."

"Grant and I... wrote this 20 years ago because I was being called a traitor in the country for being against the war in Iraq," Clooney said. "Forever, we've had this issue where power kind of hates the fourth estate, they hate journalism. And my father's an anchorman and a newsman and we've always believed in the idea that when the other three estates — the judiciary branch, the executive branch [and the legislative branch] — when the all fail you, you need that fourth estate. And this is a moment of us at our best. And I like the idea of seeing ourselves at our best, I think that's an exciting thing to do."

Tickets for Good Night, and Good Luck are now on sale. The play wraps up its limited run on Sunday, June 8.