Mark Ruffalo has joined the Roundabout Theatre Company’s upcoming Broadway revival of “The Price,” a family drama by Arthur Miller. Ruffalo replaces the previously cast John Turturro, who has left the production due to conflicts with his film commitments. This will mark Ruffalo’s first appearance on Broadway in more than a decade. The cast also includes Danny DeVito, Tony Shalhoub and Jessica Hecht.
Broadway grosses reach all-time high last week
Broadway shows always earn huge grosses over the December holidays, but last week was the biggest grossing and highest attended in history, with 33 shows earning a combined $49.7 million. Many shows earned their biggest weekly gross to date or even the best weekly gross of any show to ever play their respective theaters. “Hamilton,” in grossing $3.3 million, broke the record for the highest weekly gross of any single show.
‘Cruel Intentions’ musical to receive a short NY premiere
A new musical version of the 1999 teen flick “Cruel Intentions” will receive a “pop-up” premiere at the downtown concert venue (le) Poisson Rouge for three performances beginning Feb. 11. Its score is made up of songs from the film’s soundtrack and other ’90s pop hits. “Cruel Intentions” is a contemporary take on the French novel “Les Liaisons Dangereuses,” which was adapted for the stage by Christopher Hampton. The current Broadway revival of “Les Liaisons Dangereuses” with Liev Schreiber closes on Sun.
Gary Busey opens up about his strange off-Broadway stint
Gary Busey, who recently finished a short stint in the long-running off-Broadway mystery drama “Perfect Crime,” opened up about the experience in an interview with The Los Angeles Times. Asked why he joined the show, Busey explained that he “didn’t have anything else to do.” Busey was permitted to make changes to the play, including adding and deleting dialogue. He even urged theatergoers to pay attention during the show. (I attended “Perfect Crime” in 2004. As interesting as it may have been to see Busey cause a ruckus, once was enough.)
Carrie Fisher was planning a stage comeback
Carrie Fisher brought her gossipy and sassy one-woman show “Wishful Drinking” to Broadway in 2009, in which she discussed the sex lives of her parents Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, her marriage to Paul Simon, her various medical conditions and, of course, Princess Leia. As per Indiewire.com, Fisher was working on a new show before her passing. Its tentative title was “Wishful Drinking Strikes Back: From Star Wars to, uh, Star Wars!“ HBO rebroadcast the filmed version of “Wishful Drinking” earlier this week.
Experimental group to create ‘The Great American Drama’
Move aside Eugene O’Neill. The New York Neo-Futurists, a downtown theater troupe best known for the long-running show “Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind,” have set out to create “The Great American Drama.” This new experimental work is intended to fulfill the desires of what theatergoers (who will participate in interviews and surveys) want to see onstage. The show will be updated after each performance in response to audience feedback. It will play the A.R.T. New York Theatres beginning Jan. 17.
‘Lend Me a Tenor’ cast reunites for sequel
Actor turned director Don Stephenson, who staged the Ken Ludwig farce “Lend Me a Tenor” at New Jersey’s Paper Mill Playhouse four years ago, is reuniting his old cast (including Jill Paice, David Josefsberg, Ryan Silverman and John Treacy Egan) for “A Comedy of Tenors,” a sequel penned by Ludwig with the same characters. It begins performances on Feb. 1. “Lend Me a Tenor” received a Broadway revival in 2010, but “A Comedy of Tenors” has yet to play New York.
Spotted …
Leslie Jones, Aziz Ansari and Tony Danza at “Oh, Hello” … George Stephanopoulos at “In Transit.”
Correction: An earlier version of this story mispelled a “Lend Me a Tenor” cast member’s last name; it is David Josefsberg.
