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Ella Beatty Steps into Lead Role for Broadway's Appropriate at Belasco Theatre

Ella Beatty, star of the FX show "Feud: Capote vs The Swans," will make her Broadway debut in the Branden Jacobs-Jenkins stage play, "Appropriate," following the production's transfer to the Belasco Theatre for a limited 13-week engagement starting on March 25 until June 23.

In the meantime, the current run of the stage play at the Hayes Theater will continue through March 3. 

(Photo : Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
Ella Beatty attends FX's "Feud: Capote VS. The Swans" New York Premiere at Museum of Modern Art on January 23, 2024 in New York City.

The Cast of Broadway's 'Appropriate' Stage Play

Beatty will be succeeding Elle Fanning as River in the Jacobs-Jenkins production because Fanning cannot move with the show to Belasco due to unstated reasons.

In contrast, most of the Hayes Theater cast members will stick through the transfer, which includes Sarah Paulson, Corey Stoll, Michael Esper, Natalie Gold, Graham Campbell, Alyssa Emily Marvin, Lincoln Cohen, and Everett Sobers. 

The move will allow the Second Stage Theater production to execute a commercial run on the Rialto with backing from Ambassador Theatre Group, Amanda Dubois, Annapurna Theatre, Bad Robot Live, Kristin Caskey, Mike Isaacson, and Bee Carrozzini.

The Lila Neugebauer-directed play first opened at the Hayes Theater last Dec. 18 after holding previews on Nov. 29. 

This particular stage production is two-time Pulitzer finalist Jacobs-Jenkins' first solo Broadway playwriting gig, although, he did contribute added material for the Main Stem revival of Thornton Wilder's "The Skin of Our Teeth" at the Lincoln Center Theater. 

Revolving around a family drama set in suburban Arkansas, the story follows the Lafayette family, comprising siblings Tony Paulson and Bo Stoll, and their summer plans to deal with their late patriarch's estate in the area, which he left behind after his passing. 

Despite each of the two siblings harboring their own intentions and plans, the family excursion went by swimmingly, that is until their estranged brother Franz Esper suddenly made his appearance, and with him came a stream of "buried" resentments exacerbated by generational trauma.

Working under Neugebauer in the creative team are costume designer Dede Ayite, lighting designer Jane Cox, sound designer Will Pickens and Bray Poor, fight director UnkleDave's Fight House, and vocal coach Kate Wilson. 

The production stage manager, on the other hand, is Barclay Stiff, who will be getting help from Kelly Levy. As for casting, it is led by Jim Carnahan and Alexandre Bleu.

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