James Corden Sparked Broadway Revival of Art, Says Director Scott Ellis

The upcoming Broadway production of Yasmina Reza's play Art, starring James Corden, Neil Patrick Harris and Bobby Cannavale, was spearheaded by Corden himself.

On an upcoming episode of The Broadway Show, director Scott Ellis told Broadway.com’s Managing Editor Beth Stevens, “I was asked to meet with James. It was sort of James driving that he wanted to do it—‘The James Corden Show.’”

Corden, the former host of CBS' The Late Late Show with James Corden, made his Broadway debut in 2006 in The History Boys, returning in 2012 to lead the comedy One Man, Two Guvnors, winning a Tony Award for his comic performance. He seems to be itching to get back on the boards: in 2024, he starred in the drama The Constituent in London. He also hosted the Tony Awards in 2016 and 2019.

Ellis "parachuted" into London to meet with Corden. "We talked for three hours about the play—about him doing it."

Reza’s play centers on three longtime friends whose bond is tested when one of them buys an expensive all-white painting. The premise appealed to Ellis, who pointed to 12 Angry Men, which he directed fon Broadway in 2004, as a reference point. “I always say my favorite thing is lock a couple people in a room—that’s interesting to me ... So the idea of just saying, ‘Hey, these three friends are going to have to lock up and deal with this.’ I just find that really interesting.”

According to Ellis, Corden also had a say in casting. “He just wanted great actors. And for me that means stage actors. And so the only thing I said was, ‘Here's a list of people I'm looking at. If there's someone you don't want to work with…” Corden vetoed “very few” of the names on that list, Ellis said, adding, “There’s no ego there.” Clearly, Cannavale and Harris made the cut.