Theater guide: Playing it straight
take on the themes of Anton Chekhov with a modern, comedic twist.
Credit: Carol Rosegg
Broadway’s big, flashy musicals tend to get a lot of press. There are definitely several that we’re looking forward to this spring (“Pippin,” “Kinky Boots,” “Hands on a Hardbody,” to name a few). But we also wanted to devote some page space to the historically less glitzy genre of the Great White Way: straight plays, which refers — without irony — to standard nonmusical fare, be it comedy or drama. Here’s a look at some of the those upcoming shows.
‘Lucky Guy’
One of the most buzzed-about plays of the season marks Tom Hanks’ Broadway debut in “Lucky Guy,” written by the late Nora Ephron. Despite the duo’s history working on such titles as “Sleepless in Seattle” and “You’ve Got Mail,” don’t expect a witty rom-com to unfold onstage. This work by the former New York Post employee returns to her roots, focusing on the role of journalism in the 1980s — specifically, the career of real-life, ill-reputed tabloid columnist Mike McAlary. Opens April 1, www.luckyguyplay.com
‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’
This interpretation of Truman Capote’s classic novella stars Emilia Clarke (TV’s “Game of Thrones”), Cory Michael Smith (“The Cockfight Play”) and George Wendt (TV’s “Cheers”). The plot follows “it” girl Holly Golightly, immortalized on film by Audrey Hepburn, as she navigates the complicated intersection of love, money and self-discovery in 1940s Manhattan. The adaptation is penned by Tony-winning playwright Richard Greenberg (“Take Me Out”). Opens March 20, www.breakfastattiffanysonbroadway.com
‘Orphans’
You may have heard about this one already largely thanks to the upheaval caused when Shia LaBeouf abruptly left the cast last month, to be replaced by Ben Foster. Foster joins
original cast members Alec Baldwin and Tom Sturridge in this dark play about desperate and disparaging orphan siblings who commit an emotionally weighted kidnapping in the City of Brotherly Love. “Orphans” is written by Lyle Kessler and directed by Daniel Sullivan. Opens April 7, www.orphansonbroadway.com
‘Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike’
After a sold-out run last year at Lincoln Center, Christopher Durang’s latest comedy returns to Manhattan. It follows three siblings who are reunited in their childhood home — with the controversial addition of the movie star sister’s new boy toy. The original cast returns for this limited engagement, including David Hyde Pierce and Sigourney Weaver. Now playing, www.vanyasoniamashaspike.com
