New Stars in Old Favorites
This fall a few long-running musicals are getting a fresh start with big-time names you know from TV, film and their other stage work. Read on to get the scoop on the familiar faces landing on the Great White Way in the coming months.
John Pinette in Hairspray
Starts September 6
This stand-up comedian's repertoire includes the catchphrase, "You go now! You been here four owa!" in reference to his huge appetite at all-you-can-eat Asian buffets. He was named Stand-Up Comedian of the Year by the American Comedy Awards in 1999 and has appeared in several films including Junior, Dear God, Duets and The Punisher. After earning positive notices in the road tour of Hairspray, his first legitimate stage appearance, Pinette is now ready to fill the muumuu of Edna Turnblad at Broadway's Neil Simon Theatre eight times a week. 
Brooke Shields in Chicago
Starts September 9
Suddenly Roxie! Fresh from a run as dancing jailbird Roxie Hart in the West End production of Chicago, six-foot-tall beauty Brooke Shields is crossing the pond to take on the coveted part on stage at the Ambassador Theatre through October 30. The former Calvin Klein jeans girl rocketed to stardom with her roles in Pretty Baby and The Blue Lagoon. She later starred in the successful sitcom Suddenly Susan and has headlined three Broadway shows: Grease!, Cabaret and Wonderful Town.
Ashley Brown in Beauty and the Beast
Starts September 20
After receiving raves for her performance in Disney's national tour of On the Record, this young actress got her childhood wish of starring on Broadway with the plumb role of Belle in Beauty and the Beast. Coincidentally, one of the fresh-faced Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music grad's numbers in Disney's touring revue was “A Change in Me,” a song she'll now get to make her own every night on the stage of the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.
Wayne Knight in Sweet Charity
Starts September 20
Newman! Jerry Seinfeld's nemesis on the hit TV series Seinfeld will soon be seen on the Great White Way. Wayne Knight steps into the role of Herman, the Fandango Ballroom's sleazy manager, in the colorful revival of Sweet Charity starring Christina Applegate. Knight, who was last seen on Broadway in Art, is also recognizable to TV and film audiences for his recurring role on Third Rock From the Sun and in films like Jurassic Park, JFK, Basic Instinct, To Die For and Dirty Dancing.
Rosie O'Donnell in Fiddler on the Roof
Starts September 20
Rosie O'Donnell, best known as a showtune-singing daytime TV talk show host, makes a triumphant return to Broadway in David Leveaux's breathtaking revival of Fiddler. O'Donnell's rise to fame started with her days as a stand-up comedian and was solidified by film roles in movies like A League of Their Own, The Flintstones and Sleepless in Seattle. She has previously starred on the Great White Way in Grease! and Seussical and produced the high-profile Boy George musical Taboo in 2002. Rosie plays Golde to Harvey Fierstein's Tevye through the show's final sunset on January 8, 2006.
John Dossett and Michele Pawk in Mamma Mia!
Starts October 19
This real-life Broadway power couple met while playing lovers in the sexy off-Broadway musical Hello Again. Now they team up on stage again as Donna Sheridan and Sam Carmichael in the dancin'-in-the-aisles ABBA musical, Mamma Mia!. She's a Tony winner for her performance in Hollywood Arms who has also gained positive notice for roles in The Paris Letter, Seussical, Cabaret and Crazy for You. He's a Tony nominee who starred opposite Bernadette Peters as Herbie in the 2003 revival of Gypsy and heads to Mamma Mia! fresh from the summer revival of The Constant Wife. Other credits include Fifth of July, Prelude to a Kiss, Ragtime, An Almost Holy Picture and Democracy.
Huey Lewis in Chicago
Starts October 31
Huey Lewis will soon be workin' for a livin'…on Broadway! The front man of Huey Lewis & The News steps into the role of suave but sleazy lawyer Billy Flynn in Broadway's long-running hit musical, Chicago in November. With their straight-up rock and roll sensibility, Lewis' band shot to fame in the 1980s with chart-topping hits like "The Heart of Rock & Roll," "Hip to Be Square" and "The Power of Love." Now in his fifties, Lewis continues to tour across the country and has developed a career in TV and film, expanding his credits with this, his Broadway debut.
