One Broadway Stage Family Enters, As Another Exits

The Royal Family, the classic George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber comedy about a family of stage stars, concludes its limited run at Manhattan Theatre Club's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre today. The production, which was extended twice due to ticket demand, featured a glittery cast of theater regulars including Jan Maxwell, John Glover, Tony Roberts, Ana Gasteyer, Reg Rogers, and Rosemary Harris. Meanwhile over at the Walter Kerr Theatre, the Trevor Nunn-directed production of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's charming A Little Night Music is having its official opening. This is the first-ever Broadway revival of the 1973 musical based on Ingmar Bergman's film Smiles of a Summer Night, and it stars Catherine Zeta-Jones as a glamorous actress and Angela Lansbury as her mother. It was recently announced that PS Classics and Nonesuch will be releasing a new recording of the musical with this production's cast.

The Royal Family Extends Through Mid-December

The Manhattan Theatre Club's new production of the comedy The Royal Family will be reigning supreme at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on Broadway for an extra two weeks. It was recently announced that the limited-run production will not close on November 29 as was originally planned, but instead the show will continue its Broadway run on through December 13. The extension of the 1929 play about a renowned showbiz family, which was written by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber, was due to popular demand, which is no surprise given The Royal Family's impressive cast list. The production stars an excellent cast of theater notables, including Rosemary Harris, John Glover, Larry Pine, Jan Maxwell, Reg Rogers, and Ana Gasteyer.

The Royal Family Opens on Broadway Tonight

The Royal Family will hold court at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre tonight when it has its official Broadway opening. The 1927 comedy by playwriting greats George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber is about a family of flamboyant theater performers called the Cavendishes (based on the legendary real-life Barrymore clan). This Manhattan Theatre Club production of the play stars a cast of theater pros, including Rosemary Harris, Jan Maxwell, Larry Pine, Reg Rogers, Tony Roberts (Broadway's Xanadu), John Glover (recently on Broadway in Roundabout's Waiting For Godot revival), and Ana Gasteyer (Wicked, TV's Saturday Night Live). Directed by Tony Award winner Doug Hughes (Doubt), the production is scheduled to run at the Friedman Theatre through November 29th.

Ana Gasteyer Joins The Cast of Broadway's The Royal Family

Former Saturday Night Live cast member Ana Gasteyer, best known for her impressions of such personalities as Celine Dion and Katherine Harris, is joining the cast of the upcoming Manhattan Theatre Club revival of the classic play The Royal Family. Gasteyer will play Kitty Dean, who is related by marriage to the Cavendishes, the fictional clan of stage celebrities whose exploits are explored in The Royal Family. Written by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber, the comedy first appeared on Broadway in 1927 at the Selwyn Theatre (which is now known as the American Airlines Theatre). The new MTC production will begin preview performances at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on September 15, with its official Broadway opening on October 8.