A euphoric windfall of returning VIP stars has landed on Broadway this spring and the buzz is almost deafening. Oscar winner Jessica Lange, Golden Globe recipient Gabriel Byrne, and Tony winner John Gallagher, Jr. are appearing in Long Day’s Journey Into Night, while Emmy winner Sean Hayes is going all Supreme Being in An Act of God. Meanwhile, the Tony count soars courtesy of three-time winner Frank Langella (The Father) and six-timer (a Tony record!) Audra McDonald, who’s appearing in the musical Shuffle Along—a show that reunites her with her 1988 Ragtime costar, Tony winner Brian Stokes Mitchell. The cast also boasts the talents of Billy Porter, who picked up his Tony trophy playing Lola/Simon in the hit musical Kinky Boots.
Image: Joan Marcus, 2016
Still, of the many multi-media celebrities getting back in touch with their Broadway roots, the most familiar to present-day sitcom fans is five-time Emmy nominee Jesse Tyler Ferguson of Modern Family, who has opted to spend his summer vacation at the Lyceum Theatre embodying a cavalcade of 40+ loopy characters in the one-man comedy Fully Committed.
The show’s premise is custom-made for the versatile Ferguson, who plays a guy who mans the reservation line for New York’s trendiest restaurant—a job that has him scrambling for sanity as a tsunami of VIPs and wannabes plead, demand, and/or threaten for a table or, in some cases, an alpha table. P.S. With Ferguson’s high-profile comedic charisma, and the show’s adios on 7/24, I suggest scoring tickets ASAP.
Finding Neverland/Carol Rosegg
CASTING NOTES: Finding Neverland’s latest addition is Tony-nominee Marc Kudisch in the dual role of Charles Frohman/Captain Hook. Producer Harvey Weinstein says, “The pairing of Marc alongside our new J.M. Barrie Alfie Boe and the lovely Laura Michelle Kelly will make for a spectacular evening of musical theater.”
Meanwhile, at Lincoln Center, The King and I welcomes two new leads: Tony nominee Marin Mazzie in the role of British schoolteacher Anna Leonowens (starting May 3), and Daniel Dae Kim of Lost fame, who will be making his Broadway debut as the King of Siam. Broadway vets Jose Llana (Wonderland) and Analisa Leaming (On the 20th Century) are performing the roles now and you can enjoy their performances with a special two-for-one ticket offer from April 19th through May 1st. Use code KIHOTEL for your discount.
