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September Broadway News & Notes: Joan Rivers, Michael C. Hall as Hedwig & More

Before the smoke has even begun to clear on former The Book of Mormon star Andrew Rannells’ debut/limited run as Broadway’s ultra-glam transsexual Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, the second successor to the role originated by Tony winner Neil Patrick Harris has been announced. It’s Michael C. Hall, who recently co-starred with Toni Collette, Tracy Letts, and Marisa Tomei in Will Eno's extraordinary, albeit underappreciated, Broadway production The Realistic Jones.

Hall, of course, is known to TV fans for playing the title role in Dexter and David Fisher in Six Feet Under (Emmy nominations for both these off-the-beaten-psyche roles) plus, on Broadway he was one in the vast succession of Emcees in the 1998 Cabaret revival (currently being re-revived with original Emcee Alan Cumming at Studio 54).

Andrew Rennalls as Hedwig

Rannells as Hedwig. Photo: Joan Marcus

And for you calendar-watchers, here is the official Hedwiggian rundown: Neil Patrick Harris: Long gone - final performance August 17th; Andrew Rannells: Up and running through Sunday, October 12th; Michael C. Hall: Begins performances Thursday, October 16th for an engagement set to end on Sunday, January 4th, 2015.

Meanwhile, Lena Hall, who picked up a Tony as well for her portrayal of Yitzhak, will be hanging in there for duration at the Belasco.

In the “Shame on You” Corner

UPDATE TWO (2:45pm): Rational Pressure Prevails: All Broadway theatres will be dimming their lights tonight for Joan Rivers after all. The shift came following a tsunami of dissension by the theatre community, fans and a couple of theatre owners who were willing to set their own standards of right and wrong.

In an about-face quote today, Broadway League executive director Charlotte St. Martin, who just yesterday announced the lights would remain ablaze, said: "Joan Rivers loved Broadway and we loved her. Due to the outpouring of love and respect for Joan Rivers from our community and from her friends and fans worldwide, the marquees of Broadway theaters in New York will be dimmed in her memory tonight, at exactly 6:45pm, for one minute."

In light of the situation, one may be tempted to say “too little,” but fortunately not “too late.”

Joan Rivers

UPDATE: It looks like Joan Rivers will be honored after all with a dimming of lights at least some Broadway theatres. This reaction to yesterday’s turn of the screw -- by theatre execs that arbitrarily opted to deny the comedian Broadway’s final standing ovation -- was initiated by Jujamcyn Theaters president Jordan Roth, who tweeted the following last night:

“In memory of the legendary Joan Rivers, we will dim the lights of our Jujamcyn Theaters marquees, Tuesday at 6:45pm.”

This means that tonight four of Broadway’s most prominent theatres – The Eugene O’Neill (The Book Of Mormon), The Walter Kerr (A Gentleman’s Guide To Love And Murder), The August Wilson (Jersey Boys), and The Al Hirschfeld (Kinky Boots) – will effectively defy yesterday’s decision – as will Disney Theatrical Productions who announced it too will be dimming the lights at its flagship New Amsterdam Theatre (Aladdin) tonight at 6:45pm in memory of Ms. Rivers. 

As for myself, I will be on Broadway tonight at 6:45 casting my gaze on one of these marquees, grateful for the opportunity say good-bye in fitting style.

The honor of having the lights dim on Broadway theatre marquees for Joan Rivers was vetoed by a committee of Broadway execs – a sad and misplaced decision for all of us in the industry who celebrate her iconic stature and in all performance genres, including the theatre.

I cannot begin to tell you how instrumental Rivers was in the lives and careers of so many New York stage actors… nor how often I saw her at the theater. And it’s not like she never set foot on a Broadway stage; in addition to stepping into the role of Kate in Neil Simon’s Broadway Bound, she wrote and starred in two Broadway plays, including Sally Marr and Her Escorts, for which she earned a Tony nomination. 

The fact that such a simple gesture and time held tradition be denied a performer who has dedicated her life to the world of entertainment is appalling. Certainly all of us who have experienced her generosity and been inspired by her courageous comedic… well, everything, know that the even if the marquees are at full light, Broadway as a whole has lost one of its most noteworthy beacons. 

About the Author

City Guide Theatre Editor Griffin Miller moved to New York to pursue an acting/writing career in the 1980s after graduating magna cum laude from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Since then, she has written for The New York Times, For the Bride, Hotels, and a number of other publications, mostly in the areas of travel and performance arts. An active member of The New York Travel Writers Association, she is also a playwright and award-winning collage artist. In addition, she sits on the board of The Lewis Carroll Society of North America. Griffin is married to Richard Sandomir, a reporter for The New York Times.

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