Dates Set for Harry Connick Jr. on Broadway in The Pajama Game

Harry Connick Jr. will indeed play Sid Sorokin in a revival of the musical The Pajama Game on the Great White Way. Although he was originally expected to be part of a commercial mounting, Connick Jr. will appear in the show as part of the Roundabout Theatre Company's 40th anniversary season. Performances are set to begin on January 27 at the American Airlines Theatre.

Richard Bissell's novel 7 1/2 Cents inspired The Pajama Game, which features music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross and a book by George Abbott and Bissell. In the musical comedy, a battle ensues when workers at the Sleep-Tite Pajama Factory demand a seven-and-a-half cent raise from their reluctant employers. Matters are complicated when the head of the Union Grievance Committee falls in love with one of the company's leaders, Sid Connick Jr.. The show originally ran on Broadway from May 13, 1954 through Nov 24, 1956 and had an unsuccessful revival from December 9, 1973 through February 3, 1974. In May of 2002 Encores! staged a concert Pajama Game with direction by John Rando.

Connick Jr. is best known for his career as a singer and recording artist. He has sold over 20 million albums and won three Grammy Awards he recently received another nomination, for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for Only You. In addition to his music career, Connick Jr. has been acting professionally for quite a while. His film credits include Memphis Belle, Little Man Tate, Copycat, Independence Day, Excess Baggage, Hope Floats, Life Without Dick and Basic. He recently finished a longtime recurring role on the hit series Will & Grace and also notably played Lt. Joe Cable in the 2001 television film version of South Pacific. Connick Jr. has never before acted on Broadway, but he did do a short stint at the Lunt-Fontanne with An Evening with Harry Connick Jr. and His Orchestra in 1990 and also earned a Tony nomination for his score for the musical Thou Shalt Not.

The Pajama Game will be directed and choreographed by Kathleen Marshall. As previously reported, this revival of The Pajama Game is expected to feature two news songs by Adler and a revised book by Peter Ackerman the actor-turned-writer behind the play Things You Shouldn't Say Past Midnight and the film Ice Age. It is scheduled to run on the Great White Way through June 18. An opening night is set for March 2.