'Born Yesterday' May Return to Broadway With a New Star

A Broadway revival of Garson Kanin’s play “Born Yesterday” is in the works for spring 2011, possibly with a relatively unknown actress in the lead role that Judy Holliday made famous more than 60 years ago, two theater executives familiar with the plans said on Tuesday.

Nina Arianda, who received rave reviews last spring and several acting awards for her first major Off Broadway performance, as Vanda in the dark comedy “Venus in Fur,” is in discussions to play Billie Dawn, the showgirl mistress of the corrupt businessman Harry Brock, according to the two executives who spoke on condition of anonymity because the revival was still in unofficial planning stages.

The actor Jim Belushi, best known from the ABC comedy “According to Jim,” is in discussions to play Brock; the two executives were not aware of who might play Paul Verrall, the good-guy journalist whose tutoring of Billie Dawn helps open her eyes to her boyfriend’s shady ways. The timing of the production depends in part on Mr. Belushi’s availability once his current television series, “The Defenders” on CBS, concludes taping this winter.

The original Broadway production of “Born Yesterday” opened in February 1946 with Ms. Holliday, Paul Douglas as Brock, and Gary Merrill as Verrall, and ran for nearly four years; Ms. Holliday went on to win an Academy Award for best actress as Billie Dawn in the 1950 film version, which included Broderick Crawford as Brock and William Holden as Verrall.

Doug Hughes is signed on to direct the revival; he most recently directed a revival of “Mrs. Warren’s Profession” on Broadway, and won the Tony for best director of a play in 2005 for “Doubt.”

The producers are Philip Morgaman, Anne and Vincent Caruso, Frankie J. Grande and James P. MacGilvray. The show’s publicist, Richard Kornberg, declined to comment on Tuesday.

The play has been revived once on Broadway, in 1989, starring Madeline Kahn in a production that ran just five months.

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Does Music Trump Story? More Answers to Your Broadway Questions

Yesterday, Larry Stempel, the author of the new book “Showtime: A History of the Broadway Musical Theater,” answered readers’ questions about lyric writing, guilty pleasures and other topics. Today Mr. Stempel takes a look at the music vs. lyrics debate, short runs and more. His final set of answers will be posted tomorrow.

Theater Q. & A.

Ask About Broadway Musicals

Larry Stempel, the author of “Showtime: A History of the Broadway Musical Theater,” is an associate professor of music at Fordham University.

Q.

It’s sometimes said that the plot of “Oklahoma!” turns on whether a certain young man will take a certain young lady to a community social event — and that’s it. In other words, the music is what makes the show soar. But in this and other cases of enduring musicals, is it strictly true that music trumps story? — Ivan Webster, New York

A.

“Oklahoma!” may lack the gravitas of later Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals. Yet to disparage its plot without at least a twinkle in one’s eye is to miss the point, I think. Not all shows depend on plots to succeed. (“Cats” anyone?)

“Oklahoma!” does crucially, however lightweight it may seem. Consider the score on its own. A song like “Lonely Room,” a dance like “Laurey Makes Up Her Mind,” even the underscore at the end of the first scene (when Laurey replies “Nothing” while the orchestra indicates something’s afoot) — these make little sense and pack less of a wallop without the setup for them that the plot provides. Yes, music makes this show — any show — soar. But if it trumps the plot in a show like this, it’s simply less of a show. That’s not the case with “Oklahoma!”

Q.

Is there any figure — writer, performer, director, designer — who you feel has not been given enough credit for his or her influence on musical theater, or the quality of his or her work? Similarly, is there anyone you think gets too much credit? — Zev Valancy, Oak Park, Ill.

A.

Too little credit? Yes, but may I call attention to a category of show contributors rather than to any one figure? I speak of the musicians who create the sound of Broadway. These are the more or less unknown men and women who take the work of a show’s songwriter(s), usually written at a keyboard, and flesh it out instrumentally (and sometimes even compositionally) to arrive at the way we hear it in the theater.

Among orchestrators I’d single out for starters Hans Spialek, Don Walker, and Jonathan Tunick; among arrangers, Genevieve Pitot and, above all, Trude Rittmann. Leonard Bernstein once referred to such musicians admiringly as the “subcomposers who turn a series of songs into a unified score.”

Q.

Is there any reason why Broadway runs used to be much shorter than they traditionally are today (at least for successful shows)? Did shows close for the same reasons they do today — lack of sufficient ticket sales to cover weekly costs — or was there some other reason? — Brian J. Heck, Queens

A.

There are many reasons; they also shift with time. But here’s one. In the 1920s and 1930s shows rarely ran longer than a year on Broadway. I believe that, in part, this was because shows tended not just to feature stars but to be built around them. As stars were usually unwilling to sign contracts that committed them to a single vehicle for more than a limited period of time, when their contracts ran out and they moved on to something else, the shows usually closed behind them.

With the rise of such book-based shows in the 1940s as “Oklahoma!” and “Carousel,” however, the leads were more or less unknowns. And so, as the stars were now in a sense the shows themselves, the leads could be replaced many times over and the shows continue to run.

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'Elling' to Close on Broadway

November 25, 2010, 3:59 pm

By PATRICK HEALY

So much for little-known Norwegian comedies surviving on brutal commercial Broadway. The new play “Elling,” which opened on Sunday and stars Denis O’Hare (a Tony Award winner for “Take Me Out”) and Brendan Fraser (“The Mummy” movies), will close this Sunday after 22 previews and nine regular performances, a spokeswoman for the production said on Thursday.

The play, about two roommates from a mental institution who are adjusting to life on the outside in Oslo, had a well-received run in London; the Broadway version, which also features Jennifer Coolidge, Richard Easton and Jeremy Shamos, drew praise from theater critics for the performances — particularly Mr. O’Hare’s — but mixed reviews over all.

“Elling” is the latest Broadway play that has had a tough time filling seats, in this case at the Ethel Barrymore Theater, a relatively large house for such an intimate play. The production earned only $145,070 for its eight performances last week, with the producers offering many tickets at a sharp discount. The average paid admission was $22.03, about half as much as the next low performer, the new play “A Free Man of Color,” earned that week.

Mr. O’Hare, who is enjoying more success as a vampire king on the HBO series “True Blood,” was among the first to put out the word that the show was closing. In a note on his Facebook page he wrote: “If you want to see Elling, ya better hurry. We are being closed down this Sunday … yup. Our producers will go no further. Happy Thanksgiving!” The production was directed by Doug Hughes (“Mrs. Warren’s Profession,” “Doubt”).

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No quick Broadway transfer for "time of children".

October 25, 2010, 1: 11 pm

By PATRICK HEALY

While Sonia Friedman and Scott Landis structured their current "La Bete" to close in the West End on September 4 and exceptionally quickly go to Broadway, where performances began September 23 renewal Theatre producers don't expect not even fast for their production of London who come "From the children's hour" transfer by Lillian Hellman, starring Keira Knightley ("Pride and Prejudice"), top left and Elisabeth Moss ("Mad Men"), the bottom left.

M. Landis said Monday that production would open at the beginning of 2011 in the West End for a limited run but that a further move to Broadway waiting until the fall, assuming that everything goes well in London. The reason: Ms. Knightley has a film from the middle of the year, Ms. Moss should return to the "mad men" defined as editor Peggy Olson sometime in the spring. ""Mad men" wrapped season 4 on Mac last week.the network has announced its plans for the season 5, but if schedule of courses is an indicator would probably begin in the summer.

Ms. Knightley is set to play Karen Wright and Ms. Moss will play Martha Dobie "Of children Hour," the tragedy of 1934 on an all-girls boarding school managed by two women, whose personal and professional life is wrecked when a malicious student starts a rumour that the couple had lesbienne.Mme Knightley case will debut on Broadway with production, Ms. Moss was his own Secretary Karen in the resumption of 2008-9 of David Mamet's "" Speed-the-Plow.""

The "children's hour" production is directed by Ian Rickson, last on Broadway in the season 2008-9 with a "Seagull" plays Kristin Scott Thomas and "'Hedda Gabler' as Mary Louise Parker stars."

While many productions of West End transfer to Broadway months (or years) after the closure of London, Friedman Mrs. and Mr. Landis built a plan funding for "La Bete" that immediately transferred to Broadway, mainly to take advantage of production at two locations rather than to create a plan of capitalization of London and other Broadway.

It is alright, but Peggy Olson was a place where we need to make in 2011, Broadway or not.

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Robin Williams can play "The Bengal tiger" on Broadway

"Tiger of Bengal at the Baghdad zoo," a war in Iraq play by Rajiv Joseph who was a renowned production in Los Angeles, may come to Broadway in the spring with Robin Williams in the title role.

Moises Kaufman, who led the production of Los Angeles, said Monday that commitment in New York depended on continue the negotiations between the producers, Robyn Goodman and Kevin McCollum and Mr. Williams.While he was still an insured thing, Mr. Kaufman expressed optimism that exhibit, finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in drama this year arrived on Broadway.(The site Broadway.com for the first time that production would open on Broadway in the spring).

Set at the beginning of invasion of the Iraq, room regarding replicas of violence and brutality under Saddam Hussein and the war with character - a Tiger Zoo - providing humorous comments and reflections philosophical throughout.

Kevin Tighe played the role in a production which was remounted at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles .the Kirk Douglas Theatre ' possible addition of Mr. Williams to cast is a recognition of how it is difficult for a new piece reach Broadway without an attached star.

Otherwise, Mr. Kaufman said that the Broadway production proposed would be very similar to the Edition, with some adjustments.He has refused to comment on the specifics of the negotiations with Mr. Williams, but said that he believed that the comedian and actor would be "a great fit" for the part of the Tiger.

"There are many intelligent and sarcasm and humour in this character, which has a view we fatal," said Mr. Kaufman. ""There is something about keen intelligence and unblurry Tiger eye when I think Robin."

"Tiger of Bengal" would be Mr. Williams Broadway acting debut; he appeared in "Waiting for Godot" Off Broadway in 1988 and made three performances of comedy on foot on Broadway in 2002.

Mrs. Goodman did not return telephone calls Monday, while Mr. McCollum was vacances.M.Joseph, in a brief telephone conversation said advertisement was expected later this week, but declined further comment.

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