Roundabout Delays Passion Play With Plans to Keep Angry Men Deliberating

Broadway.com has learned that the Roundabout Theatre Company is pushing back the start of its planned production of Passion Play to late May, making the revival ineligible for the 2005 Tony Awards. To keep the American Airlines Theatre lit until the Peter Nichol play needs it, the company is hoping to extend its hit production of Reginald Rose's courtroom drama Twelve Angry Men past its currently scheduled April 3 end date.

Passion Play, a drama about a married couple confronted with adultery, was only added to the Roundabout season recently, after a planned mounting of Fool for Love was delayed until next season. It was scheduled to begin previews at the American Airlines Theatre on April 15 and open there on May 4 the cut-off day for 2005 Tony eligibility. Mark Brokaw is attached to direct the Roundabout production of the play, which now looks likely for a June Broadway opening.

Twelve Angry Men, directed by Scott Ellis, opened to critical acclaim on October 28, 2004 and has been extended numerous times. The show currently stars Tom Aldredge, Mark Blum, Robert Clohessy, Robert Foxworth, Peter Friedman, Boyd Gaines, Kevin Geer, Byron Jennings, Michael Mastro, Matte Osian, John Pankow, James Rebhorn and Adam Trese. Last week it filled its theater to 84.16% capacity on average.

Even with Passion Play moved to next season, there are an abundance of productions eligible for the 2005 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play. Assuming everything opens as planned and no other revival sneaks in, under consideration for the award are the Roundabout's own productions of After the Fall and Twelve Angry Men as well as mountings of Sight Unseen, Reckless, 'night, Mother, The Rivals, The Glass Menagerie, Steel Magnolias which, though it has never been on Broadway, will almost certainly be considered a revival in terms of the Tonys, On Golden Pond, A Streetcar Named Desire and Glengarry Glen Ross.

A Roundabout spokesperson was unavailable to comment on the scheduling changes.