Patrick Stewart Moving to B’way
According to Variety:
Yes, he’s dead.
Broadway comedy “Is He Dead?” will close at the Lyceum Theater on March 9, making way for a limited spring run of “Macbeth,” starring Patrick Stewart.
“Dead,” the preem of a recently unearthed Mark Twain comedy, earned strongly positive reviews after its Dec. 9 opening but struggled to attract auds. In an unusually competitive play season, momentum for “Dead” was hampered by the 19-day stagehands strike in November, which shut down the show during its preview period.
“Dead,” which stars Norbert Leo Butz as a cross-dressing artist, grossed less than $200,000 for the week ended Feb. 24. Cume for the show, which began perfs Nov. 8, is just a bit more than $2.5 million.
“Macbeth,” meanwhile, is currently in the midst of a sold-out limited engagement at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, where helmer Rupert Goold’s production has earned favorable press.
Show originated over the summer at the Chichester Festival in the U.K. and went on to play the West End in the fall. Stewart is nommed for an Olivier for his performance in the title role and also picked up an Evening Standard Award.
Production finishes its six-week run at BAM on March 22 and then will play 63 perfs at the Lyceum from March 29-May 24.
