Is He Dead? to Close; Patrick Stewart's Macbeth Headed for Lyceum
The Broadway production of Is He Dead? will close on March 9, but the Lyceum Theatre will quickly get a new tenant: Rupert Goold's production of Macbeth now in a sold-out run at BAM with Patrick Stewart in the title role, will play a limited run at the theater from March 29 to May 24.
Is He Dead?, a farcical comedy by Mark Twain as adapted by David Ives, opened on December 9 to excellent reviews, particularly for Norbert Leo Butz's star turn as an artist who pretends to be dead and poses as his own sister to drive up the value of his paintings. But the 19-day Broadway stagehands strike, which halted previews and delayed the show's opening, coupled with the fact that a dozen plays opened on Broadway before and after the strike, proved disastrous for Is He Dead? The production began advertising "last weeks" and played to 52.96% of capacity on a gross of $182,931 for the week ending February 24.
In addition to Butz, the cast of Is He Dead? includes Jeremy Bobb, Marylouise Burke, Patricia Conolly, Jenn Gambatese, Byron Jennings, Michael McGrath,John McMartin, David Pittu, Bridget Regan and Tom Alan Robbins.
The Stewart production of Macbeth opened last summer at the Chichester Festival and moved to the West End, winning the star the Evening Standard Award for his performance. Set in an industrial chamber that is equally military hospital ward, kitchen, torture chamber, and abattoir, Goold's eerily modern Macbeth rings with the echoes of Stalinist terror. The production's sold-out six-week engagement at BAM ends on March 22 before beginning a 63-performance run at the Lyceum.
