A stage version of Taylor’s film, co-starring Rock Hudson, would mark another hedged bet by the Public Theater. (Everett Collection)
The Public Theater just can’t shake its Broadway habit.
Once an engine of risky, innovative work, the downtown nonprofit theater is now so enamored of the Great White Way that much of its programming seems designed to go right to Times Square.
Oskar Eustis, the Public’s artistic director, has become such a Broadway Baby that he’s been spotted dancing through Shubert Alley dressed as Little Orphan Annie.
He’s producing two shows right now, sources say, that have Broadway in their sights.
One is a revival of James Lapine and Stephen Sondhei
m’s “Into the Woods,” slated this summer for the Delacorte in Central Park.
The other is “Giant,” a new musical from Michael John LaChiusa that’s based on Edna Ferber’s sprawling 1952 novel about Texas.
The novel was made into a 1956 movie starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson and James Dean, whose hair unfortunately was spray-painted silver to indicate aging.
The musical opened last month at the Dallas Theater Center. Directed by Michael Greif (“Rent”), it features a cast of Broadway veterans — Kate Baldwin, Dee Hoty, John Dossett and Aaron Lazar.
The reviews were decent.
Lawson Taitte, writing in the Dallas Morning News, declared: “The question isn’t whether it’s good enough for Broadway. Is Broadway brave enough for ‘Giant’?”
Eustis is banking on it.
Dressed as Buffalo Bill from “Annie Get Your Gun,” he flew to Dallas recently and told cast members that he’s bringing the show to the Public in the fall.
If the critics are kind, he’ll move it to Broadway next spring.
One potential problem is the show’s running time — about a month and a half.
I exaggerate.
The original version, staged a couple of years ago in Washington, DC, ran four hours. For Dallas, it was trimmed to three hours, and I’m told the creators will put it back on the chopping block for New York.
“They’ll do whatever it takes to get it ready for Broadway,” a source says.
As for “Into the Woods,” the Public couldn’t play it any safer. This is Sondheim’s most profitable show, with two Broadway productions — in 1987 and 2002 — as well as countless stock and amateur performances around the world.
The Public isn’t even developing this revival from scratch. Instead, the theater is importing it from London, where it opened to rave reviews in Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre in 2010. The director, Timothy Sheader, is in town auditioning actors this week. I hear Euan Morton, who starred in “Taboo,” has been called in for the role of The Baker.
There’s nothing wrong with the Public doing musicals in the Park. Joe Papp, the theater’s founder, produced plenty. And some of them moved to Broadway. But they were hardly safe bets.
A rock musical based on “Two Gentleman of Verona” in 1971? It worked — but it wasn’t exactly the sort of thing George Abbott was doing back in those days.
Or how about a musical based on an unfinished novel by Dickens? “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” went on to win five Tonys, including Best Musical, in 1986.
But Papp didn’t produce a show based on a somewhat obscure Victorian mystery novel thinking he’d make a fast buck on Broadway.
“Into the Woods” is hardly a risky venture, especially since this version was hailed by the New York Times.
Eustis got a taste of Tony Award glory in 2009 when the Public’s production of “Hair” won Best Revival.
Clearly, he wants another bite of the apple.
If both “Into the Woods” and “Giant” move to Broadway, look for him on the 2013 Tony telecast.
He’ll be wearing Hugh Jackman’s gold lamé pant suit from “The Boy From Oz.”
The great Linda Lavin is returning to Broadway this spring at the Cort Theatr in Nicky Silver’s viciously funny play “The Lyons.”
Lavin plays the Jewish mother from hell. She’s sure to give a couple of other terrific actresses — Stockard Channing (“Other Desert Cities”) and Nina Arianda (“Venus in Fur”) — a run for their money at the Tonys.