Can any of the major star-driven plays set to open on Broadway over the next few months match the off-stage drama that consumed the theater world last week? It would be hard for any play to top the rumors and Twitter meltdowns that accompanied Shia LaBeouf's eleventh-hour exit from "Orphans" with less than a month to go before its Broadway debut.
But fret not theater fans, stars so big they need only use their first names ("Bette" and 'Tom" and "Alec") are still on tap to blaze across the greater Broadway area. After all, it's nearly spring -- that time of year when a horde of Hollywood stars make the cross-country pilgrimage to New York to prove their theatrical mettle -- and maybe pick up a Tony Award to boot.
Last season, theater producers benefited enormously from this talent infusion. Thanks to star-studded revivals, such as "Death of a Salesman" with Philip Seymour Hoffman and Andrew Garfield, which arrived with higher ticket prices, Broadway hit a record $1.14 billion in sales in 2011-12, according to the Broadway League.
Also read: Jane Lynch to Make Broadway Debut in 'Annie'
The lineup of plays and musicals hitting Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters is again a star-studded one, filled with stage newbies and theater veterans. Tom Hanks and Jane Lynch will be making their Great White Way debuts this season (Lynch, jumping in as a replacement in "Annie"), while old hands like Alec Baldwin will again tread the boards.
A number of hot talents are making their presence felt behind the scenes. "Kinky Boots," a new musical from pop icon Cyndi Lauper, and "Matilda," a musical adaptation of the Roald Dahl children's book from Australian comedian Tim Minchin, are two shows are arriving with big expectations.
Also read: 'Aladdin' Coming to Broadway in Overhauled Version With New Creative Team (Exclusive)
For producers, the appeal of going with a star is obvious. Having someone like Hanks above the title can mean big money. Premium tickets for "Lucky Guy" are currently on sale for $350.
But the hazards can be great too, even for film and TV actors who were enthusiastically received in prior stage engagements. Take Scarlett Johansson: She won a Tony three years ago for “A View From the Bridge” but found that taking on the sultry role of Maggie in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” left critics cold.
Here's a look at some of the stars soon heading for New York stages.
Tom Hanks will star in "Lucky Guy."
Where/When: Broadhurst Theatre. Previews begin March 1, opens April 24
Theatrical Experience: Pretty limited. This A-lister made his theater debut as a servant in a production of “The Taming of the Shrew” at the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival, according to the New York Times. “Lucky Guy” marks his first time on Broadway.
Why We're Psyched: It’s Tom “Forrest Gump” Hanks in a play by the late, great Nora Ephron. Their previous collaborations include beloved romantic comedies like “You’ve Got Mail” and “Sleepless in Seattle,” so when they get together they have a history of sparkle. This play centers on a tabloid columnist in 1980s New York, a bygone era before Disney and Guy Fieri took over Times Square. Hanks and Ephron should make for spirited tour guides through all that urban rot.
Bette Midler will return to the stage in "I'll Eat You Last."
Where/When: Booth Theatre. Previews begin April 5, opens April 24
Theatrical Experience: The Divine Miss M got her start on Broadway singing “Sunrise, Sunset” as a replacement in the 1967 cast of “Fiddler on the Roof” and went on to win a Special Tony for her revue “Clams on the Half Shell.” But it’s been 30 years since she last appeared on Broadway.
Why We're Psyched: This one-woman show about chain-smoking super-agent Sue Mengers gives Midler a brassy part she can sink her teeth into. Mengers shattered every kind of glass-ceiling to become one of the most powerful women in Hollywood. Midler’s life story isn’t so different. Here’s betting she makes audiences remember what they’ve been missing for three decades.
Fiona Shaw from HBO's "True Blood" will be in "The Testament of Mary."
Where/When: Walter Kerr Theatre. Previews begin March 26, opens April 22.
Theatrical Experience: Shaw is known for her small screen work on "True Blood" and as Harry Potter's muggle aunt in the film franchise, but she's a legend among theater lovers, with a trophy case full of Olivier Awards to prove it.
Why We're Psyched: This adaptation of Irish author Colm Toibin's novella marks the reunion of Shaw and director Deborah Warner, who previously caused critics' pulses to gallop over their acclaimed productions of "Medea" and "The Waste Land." Their latest collaboration seems bound to stir controversy, centering, as it does, on Jesus' mother Mary, who in Toibin's telling is grappling with the death of her son and somewhat put off by his worshipful disciples. It could be Broadway's answer to "The Last Temptation of Christ," making it a must-see for any self-respecting theater devotee.
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