Fall Preview 2009, Part One: The Stars

A juicy part in a blockbuster movie is wonderful. Headlining a hit TV show is terrific. But when actors want to prove they’ve truly got talent, they head to Broadway! This fall, an array of boldface names will line up to try their luck on the Great White Way, and Broadway.com’s got the scoop on the hot shows that enticed them. In the first of a series of season previews, here’s a look at five star-studded productions set to open before year-end.


A Steady Rain
Fall’s biggest buzz belongs to the superstar matchup of Tony-winning X-Man Hugh Jackman and current James Bond Daniel Craig in a 90-minute drama about two Chicago cops called to account after a horrific crime. Hailed in a Chicago production as “a snowball that builds to an avalanche,” Keith Huff’s intense, gritty two-man play sounds perfect for a pair of action heroes who also happen to be experienced stage actors. (Just don’t expect the Sexiest Man Alive to burst into song.)
Previews begin September 10 at the Schoenfeld Theatre; opens September 29.


Hamlet
Nobody had heard of Jude Law when he appeared nude on Broadway in Indiscretions, his 1995 Tony-nominated debut. The next decade brought movie stardom (and tabloid scrutiny), but Law never lost sight of one part he longed to play on stage: Hamlet. “The role itself is so full of hidden chambers and new discoveries,” he said during rehearsals for Michael Grandage’s West End production, which opened in June. London critics raved, and now Law & Co. are headed to NYC with a fresh take on the melancholy Dane.
Previews begin September 12 at the Broadhurst Theatre; opens October 6.


Bye Bye Birdie
A classic musical that hasn’t been seen on Broadway since its debut almost 50 years ago? You know singing stars want in! In Roundabout’s revival of Bye Bye Birdie, the sizzling combo of John Stamos and Gina Gershon will play show-biz sweeties Albert Peterson and Rosie Alvarez, with Tony winner Bill Irwin as put-upon dad Harry MacAfee. Rising stars Nolan Funk, Allie Trimm and Matt Doyle are also on board as Elvis-like teen idol Conrad Birdie and hometown honeys Kim and Hugo. Our “happy face” is officially “put on.”
Previews begin September 10 at Henry Miller’s Theatre; opens October 15.


After Miss Julie
The steamy poster for this reimagined version of Strindberg’s tragedy says it all: Sienna Miller wraps a bare leg around Jonny Lee Miller (no relation, thank goodness), who clutches her thigh. Hey, you’d better have two gorgeous stars to pull off a play about an illicit affair between a rich girl and a servant! Screen regulars Miller & Miller will make their Broadway debuts in Patrick Marber’s drama, set in an English country estate just before the Labour Party landslide of 1945. Sex, class, politics: This one’s got it all.
Previews begin September 18 at the American Airlines Theatre; opens October 22.


Race    
Our “preview” of this world premiere play written and directed by David Mamet will have to be brief, since the playwright refuses to reveal anything about the plot. So we’ll make do studying the eclectic list of the stars involved: Emmy winner James Spader and movie beauty Kerry Washington in their Broadway debuts, plus stage vets Richard Thomas and David Alan Grier. Hmmm. On that basis alone, we predict a dark, politically incorrect comedy. 
Previews begin November 17 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre; opens December 6.