That's what I was told, too. The producers of It's Only a Play want to extend, but because The Audience has The Scoenfeld, It's Only a Play will transfer to the Jacobs. However, I didn't hear anything about Martin Short taking over for Nathan Lane. The name I heard is a little more Broadway-based.
Lane is supposed to do Iceman @ Bam early in the year so he probably could not do any transfer. Short would be a good replacement but will not sell tickets like Lane
Look for heavy discounts especially since the first 3 months have to figure into the equation.
Marty would make a great replacement for Lane, if it happens. And it's not implausible. His TV show's order was reduced and I've heard it's likely to be cancelled, so he should be free soon.
ok sorry should have clarified the comment about the Schoenfeld
they were trying to persuade The Audience to take The Jacobs so that Its Only A Play could remain at the Schoenfeld , these discussions took place over the last 2 weeks and ultimately it came down to Helen Mirren pretty much demanding the Schoenfeld
"I wish Lane would hold off on the 10,000th revival of Iceman and stick with this."
The last time Iceman was even seen in New York was in 1999, so it's not like it comes back with amazing frequency. Not to mention this production was hugely acclaimed in Chicago and is a much more interesting part for Nathan. Iceman is definitely the better choice for him.
I am a firm believer in serendipity- all the random pieces coming together in one wonderful moment, when suddenly you see what their purpose was all along.
It feels like ten minutes ago we had a revival of some nature of the godawful Iceman (I think it's the worst play O'Neill ever wrote-and I like all his other plays).
Iceman isn't really produced all that often, due mostly to its large cast (usually about twenty--huge for a non-musical) and nearly five hour running time. There was a revival in the seventies with James Earl Jones as Hickey, and then another brief engagement in the 1980s with Jason Robards (who was long-associated with the role). And then the 1999 revival, which originated in London and transferred mostly because Kevin Spacey was white-hot at the time.
It's pretty rare, in fact, to see ANY major productions of this play, which is probably why the Goodman production felt like something of an event when it premiered two years ago, and why BAM picked it up for a New York engagement.
That's fine. I am just staying away. A five hour play that is the dullest thing I've read or seen (I saw the last one when I was doing a class on it) is the last thing I want.
Congrats to Lane. I wish they could get someone besides Short, too. (I don't know who.)
I've always thought of them as pretty much the same. Next door to each other, Shubert-owned. primarily play houses. They seem to be basically the same size (within 30 seats). Hell, they're even named after the pair who ran the the Shubert Organization together.