He ushered in the big-screen reboots of the "Star Trek" and "Star Wars" franchise, and now J.J. Abrams will bring the British farce back to Broadway.
The 50-year-old superstar Hollywood vet will make his first foray into theater, co-producing the New York transfer of the long-running London hit "The Play That Goes Wrong" alongside "Avenue Q" producer Kevin McCollum, among others.
Previews begin March 9, 2017 with an open set for April 2 at the Lyceum Theatre.
"I have been a fan of theater all my life," Abrams said in a statement. "Embarrassingly, I still have every Playbill, from the very first show my grandmother took me to. When I saw 'The Play That Goes Wrong' on the West End, I hadn't laughed that hard — seen something as preposterously absurd or wonderfully hilarious — in ages."
"To be part of the team bringing this inspired comedy to Broadway is a true honor," he continued. "Whatever happens, I’m saving the Playbill."
The show, about a group of clumsy actors trying put on a murder mystery, opened on the West End in 2014 and went on to win the Olivier Award for best comedy.
It was conceived by writers Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields — who first staged the play in a small theater above a pub in London. Their troupe, the Mischief Theater company, now has three shows running in the West End — including "Peter Pan Goes Wrong" and "The Comedy About a Bank Robbery."
Broadway
Direction will come from Mark Bell. The original British cast — including Lewis, Sayer, and Shields — is expected to reprise their roles on Broadw
