CASTING is complete for the starry Broadway revival of “American Buffalo.”
Joining John Leguizamo and Cedric the Entertainer in David Mamet‘s crackling drama will be sweet-faced Haley Joel Osment of “I see dead people” fame.
The actor, who was nominated for an Oscar in 1999 for his performance in “Sixth Sense,” will play Bob, a con man in training who becomes involved in an elaborate scheme to steal a rare coin collection.
Osment, who also starred in the films “Artificial Intelligence” and “Home of the Giants,” is making his theatrical debut in “American Buffalo,” which opens at the Belasco Nov. 17.
He’s taking a leave of absence from New York University, where he’s double-majoring in fine arts and Middle Eastern studies.
“I initially considered trying to do my academic classes during the day and the play at night, but it’s probably not a good idea to mix those things at the same time,” he told The Post. “It’s my first time out, so I’m sure I’ll be putting in a lot more hours in the theater than I would on a film set.”
Osment joins a growing list of movie and television stars who are making their Broadway debuts this fall. He can drink martinis (well, Shirley Temples – he’s only 20) at Bar Centrale after the show with Daniel Radcliffe (“Equus” – a Shirley Temple for him as well, please), Katie Holmes (still not selling a ticket for “All My Sons,” poor thing – she’ll need a drink), Kristin Scott Thomas (“The Seagull” – vodka martini for her; she’s doing Chekhov and it’s three hours) and Jeremy Piven (“Speed-the-Plow” – vodka for him, too; that’s what Ari drinks in “Entourage”).
Actually, Osment and Piven could turn out to be rivals, since both are starring in dueling Mamets.
Their producers have certainly been battling it out. Just the other week, they were scrapping, Mamet-like, for the Barrymore Theatre, which became available when the revival of “Godspell” fell apart.
I happened to be on the phone with Jeffrey Richards, the producer of “Speed-the-Plow,” when word came through about “Godspell.” As soon as he heard the news, Richards cut short the call and raced over to the Shubert executive offices to angle for the Barrymore. He wanted to get there before Ben Sprecher, the producer of “American Buffalo.”
Now, nobody’s more aggressive at landing a theater than Richards, whose credits include “August, Osage County,” “Spring Awakening” and “Glengarry Glen Ross.”
When he was looking for a house for his revival of “The Caine Mutiny,” he showed up at the Shubert offices dressed as a naval officer.
“Lt. Jeffrey Richards reporting for duty, sir!” he said, saluting a slightly baffled Gerald Schoenfeld, chairman of the Shuberts.
(Richards got the theater, though in retrospect he should have dressed up like Edward John Smith, captain of the Titanic, since “The Caine Mutiny” sank like a stone.)
Richards didn’t have time to put on his sleazy Hollywood producer costume, but he made his pitch and got the Barrymore for “Speed-the-Plow.”
Sprecher, sources say, was chagrined, fretting that he would look “weak” because he lost out to Richards.
(Can you imagine what these guys are going to do to each other at the Tonys?)
In the end, Sprecher had to make due with the Belasco, a nice old theater, to be sure, but not as desirable as the Barrymore.
Maybe he should have worn a pair of buffalo horns to his meeting with the Shuberts.