While you were crying over all the Tony nominee snubs, here’s what was happening this week In the Wings.
Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick will reunite in a revival of Terrence McNally's backstage comedy "It's Only a Play." The New York Times reports that Tony winner Jack O’Brien will direct the production, expected to open sometime this September. No Broadway theatre has been announced yet. Lane and Broderick are one of Broadway’s most popular onstage couples since they first appeared together in the hit Mel Brooks musical “The Producers” in 2001. They also teamed up for a revival of "The Odd Couple" in 2005. [More info]
Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight and Natalie Cole are the three next “After Midnight” special guest stars. They’ve sold almost 300 million albums between them, and this summer the trio of Grammy winners will take on the Broadway jazz revue. LaBelle will play performances June 10-29, Knight July 8-Aug. 3 and Cole, who is also making her Broadway debut, Aug. 5-31. The three ladies follow such illustrious names in the “Special Guest Star” role as Fantasia Barrino, k.d. lang and Vanessa Williams. “After Midnight” is nominated for seven Tony awards, including Best Musical. [More info]
James Earl Jones will star in Broadway revival of Kaufman and Hart’s “You Can’t Take It with You.” It’ll be the first time in more than 30 years the Pulitzer Prize winning play has been on Broadway. Scott Ellis will direct the revival, which begins previews in August 2014 for a Sept. 28 opening. No theater has been set yet. [More info]
“The Bridges of Madison County” will close on May 18. The new musical, starring five-time Tony nominee Kelli O’Hara and Drama Desk nominee Steven Pasquale, will have played 137 performances by the time of closing. “Bridges” earns four 2014 Tony nominations, including best actress (Kelli O’Hara), lighting design (Donald Holder), and two nominations for Jason Robert Brown (original score and orchestrations). A national tour will launch in the fall of 2015. [More info]
“The Velocity of Autumn” will close this Sunday. The show stars Oscar winner Estelle Parsons and two-time Tony winner Stephen Spinella, and will have played 16 regular performances by the time it closes. Parsons was nominated for a 2014 Tony for her role in the show. [More info]
"Kinky Boots" will go on an eight-performance hiatus from May 8-13. Television network Univision has bought out the theater during those dates to use for their upfront presentations. The entire company will be paid as usual during the hiatus. And only four shows will be missed in the show's regularly planned performance schedule. [More info]
