Brendan Fraser, who was slated to appear Off-Broadway in the Signature Theatre’s upcoming production of Samuel D. Hunter’s new play “Grangeville,” has been forced to “step away due to unforeseen circumstances,” according to a press release.
Fraser starred in the 2022 film adaptation of Hunter’s play “The Whale,” portraying a morbidly obese English teacher. Fraser will be replaced by Paul Sparks (“Boardwalk Empire,” “House of Cards”). Sparks and Brian J. Smith (“The Matrix Resurrections,” “Sense8”) will play estranged half-brothers in the two-hander drama.
“Grangeville” marks the third play by Hunter to be produced by Signature as part of the playwright’s residence with the company, following the acclaimed 2022 drama “A Case for the Existence of God” and a 2023 revival of “A Bright New Boise.”
The casting switch follows an alarming article by Philip Boroff at Broadway Journal revealing that Signature Theatre’s auditor recently raised serious concerns about the company’s financial survival. The news is concerning but not entirely surprising given the challenges facing Off-Broadway theaters since reopening after the pandemic shutdown.
Compared with other prestigious nonprofit theater companies in New York, Signature stands out for its mission of producing multiple works by individual playwrights as part of residency programs and keeping ticket prices relatively affordable through corporate sponsorships.
Until 2011, Signature produced three plays a season by a single playwright (such as Tony Kushner, August Wilson, Lanford Wilson, and Horton Foote) at an Off-Broadway theater on the far west side of 42nd Street. In 2012, the company moved to the Pershing Square Signature Center, a new multi-theater complex also located on 42nd Street, enabling it to present more productions by multiple playwrights.
However, this season, the company is presenting only three productions, including “Grangeville,” Dominique Morrisseau’s “Bad Kreyòl” during the fall, and Sarah Ruhl’s “Eurydice.”
Miranda to return to BroadwayCon for its 10th anniversary
Lin-Manuel Miranda, who led a “Hamilton” sing-along at the first BroadwayCon in 2016 (in which attendees sang along to the then newly-released cast album), will appear at the 10th annual BroadwayCon in February at the New York Hilton Midtown for a “spotlight conversation event” that includes special guest appearances and performances.
BroadwayCon 2025 will feature numerous workshops, panels, performances, interviews, and other fan events, including sneak peeks at new musicals. For more info, visit BroadwayCon.com.
Legendary initial meeting of Marlon Brando and Tennessee Williams explored in new drama
According to theater legend, before Marlon Brando was cast as Stanley Kowalski in the original production of Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire,” Brando, who was 23 years old and relatively unknown at the time, auditioned for Williams (who had just scored his first major success with “The Glass Menagerie”) in Provincetown, MA in 1947 and also ended up helping Williams with badly needed house repairs.
Later in life, this meeting would be recalled in interviews and memoirs by Williams, Brando, and director Elia Kazan.
Now, it will be dramatized in “Kowalski,” a new play by Gregg Ostrin, which will be produced Off-Broadway at the Duke on 42nd Street beginning Jan. 13, with Robin Lord Taylor (“Gotham”) as Williams and Brandon Flynn (“13 Reasons Why”) as Brando, under the direction of Colin Hanlon.
