The print newspaper business might be dead, but The Front Page is coming back in a big way. The classic 1928 newspaper drama written by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur play is coming back to Broadway with one very newsworthy cast. The star studded cast includes John Slattery (Mad Men), Nathan Lane (The Producers, Addams Family), and John Goodman (West Wing, Treme),Jefferson Mays (A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder) and Rosemary Harris (The Road to Mecca). The new revival will be directed by Jack O’Brien (Hairspray, The Coast of Utopia).
Press notes for the show describe the show’s plot, reading (via Playbill):
“In The Front Page the court press room is full of poker-playing reporters, all waiting to cover the execution of radical leftist Earl Williams. Top reporter Hildy Johnson is engaged and planning to leave the life of chasing headlines and move to New York. When Williams escapes from the inept Sheriff, Hildy's scheming editor--Walter Burns--tempts Johnson to stay and write the story.“
Director Jack O'Brien will also be directing the upcoming Broadway run of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. O’Brien recently released a statement about the upcoming production, saying (via Broadway World):
"Why does Wonka want to do this Golden Ticket contest and what compels him to want to give it all away? I started with the question why. This is the dramatic premise I hang the whole show on. [West End Director Sam Mendes] and I have both spent our careers putting our personal spin on classics, be it by William Shakespeare or Roald Dahl. Since the first production was created for London it's only fair we do an American version, and in America, our connection is to the 1971 movie and the indelible impression of Gene Wilder as the slyly wicked Wonka. The score will pay homage to the beloved Leslie Bricusse/Anthony Newley songs that are integral to the American relationship to the story, combined with all new songs crafted by the American team that created one of Broadway's most beloved scores, Hairspray. There is room for both of these talented voices in one classic to tell our version of the story, as long as the story stays eternal and true."
