“The Queen of Versailles,” a new musical based on the 2012 documentary film about a Florida woman whose rich spending habits are curtailed by the Great Recession, is set to play Broadway next season. It will begin previews at the St. James Theatre (currently home to “Sunset Boulevard”) on October 8. Kristin Chenoweth and F. Murray Abraham will star as Jackie Siegel and David Siegel, respectively. It marks the first new musical with songs by Stephen Schwartz to play Broadway since “Wicked” in 2003. Michael Arden (“Parade”) will direct.
Atlantic Theater Company and IATSE reach agreement following strike
The Atlantic Theater Company, a prominent nonprofit Off-Broadway theater company, and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), the union that represents stage production crew workers, have reached a tentative agreement covering the company’s production workers following a two-month strike that forced the company to indefinitely postpone two Off-Broadway shows that were already in previews. The agreement, which provides increases in compensation and benefits, still needs to be ratified by the company’s workers.
The Atlantic is now poised to become the first nonprofit theater company that produces only Off-Broadway shows to have a union contract covering production workers. Other nonprofit theater companies that present both Broadway and Off-Broadway productions already have such union contracts. Two commercial Off-Broadway shows, “Titanique” and “Little Shop of Horrors,” also have union contracts with IATSE.
IATSE is next expected to seek union contracts from other well-known nonprofit Off-Broadway companies, many of which have struggled financially since reopening following the pandemic shutdown. When the strike began, Atlantic warned that “if IATSE is successful in getting their proposed financials with Atlantic, it would set a precedent for other Off-Broadway companies and we may see the demise of some of our greatest institutions, including Atlantic.”
Jean Smart to return to Broadway in ‘Call Me Izzy’
Jean Smart, who currently plays comic Deborah Vance on the hit HBO series “Hacks,” will return to Broadway this summer in the world premiere of “Call Me Izzy,” a one-woman dark comedy by comedian and journalist Jamie Wax about a woman in rural Louisiana with a secret. It will play a limited run at Studio 54 beginning May 24 and be directed by Sarna Lapine (2017 Broadway revival of “Sunday in the Park with George”).
Roundabout to present ‘Oedipus,’ ‘Rocky Horror’ and ‘Fallen Angels’
The Roundabout Theatre Company’s 2025-26 Broadway season will include “Oedipus,” a new take on the Greek tragedy by Robert Icke (“1984”) that stars Mark Strong and Lesley Manville, a revival of “The Rocky Horror Show” (which just marked its 50th anniversary) directed by Sam Pinkleton (“Oh, Mary!”), and a revival of Noel Coward’s rarely seen comedy “Fallen Angels” starring Rose Byrne (who previously appeared on Broadway in “You Can’t Take It With You”) and Tony Award winner Kelli O’Hara. The company will also renovate the Todd Haimes Theatre (formerly the American Airlines Theatre) during the new season.
Irish Rep will stream ‘Beckett Briefs’
During the pandemic, many believed that theater companies would continue to stream their productions after theaters reopened. However, that has not turned out to be the case at all due to the significant costs and required approvals. One of the few New York companies that has continued to embrace streaming, the Irish Repertory Theatre, will stream its current Off-Broadway production of “Beckett Briefs” (which consists of three short cryptic dramas by Samuel Beckett) from March 16 to 30.
