Christian Hoff, Stockard Channing & Martha Plimpton to Star in Pal Joey

Tony Award winners Christian Hoff and Stockard Channing and Tony nominee Martha Plimpton have signed on for the long-talked-about revival of Pal Joey, which will begin previews on November 14 and open December 11 at Studio 54, produced by Roundabout Theatre Company. The limited engagement, Broadway's first production of the musical in over 30 years, will be directed by two-time Tony Award winner Joe Mantello and choreographed by Graciela Daniele.

"I am thrilled to bring Joey to life," Hoff told Broadway.com, "and if I'm going to get into trouble, it ought to be with two of the most adorable troublemakers to grace the stage, Stockard and Martha."

Pal Joey, the 1940 musical by composer/lyricist team Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart and written by John O'Hara, is based on characters from O'Hara's original series of short stories published by The New Yorker. Roundabout's revival will feature a new book by Tony Award winner Richard Greenberg, based on the original by O'Hara.

Centering on dancer Joey Evans Hoff, a lovable heel with dreams of opening his own nightclub, the tuner follows Evans as he woos wealthy socialite Vera Simpson Channing to fund his venture and falls in with a crooked crowd of chorus girls and show biz types.

The original production of Pal Joey, starring Gene Kelly, opened at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on December 25, 1940, moving to two other theaters during its year-long run and playing a total of 374 performances before closing on November 29, 1941. The show was revived at the Broadhurst Theatre in 1952, playing a Tony Award-winning 540 performances. New York City Center gave a special presentation of the show, starring Bob Fosse in a Tony nominated title-role turn, during the summer of 1963. Pal Joey was last produced at Circle in the Square for a two-month run in 1976. A 1995 Encores! presentation starred Patti LuPone, Peter Gallagher and Bebe Neuwirth. The show was made into a feature film in 1957 featuring Frank Sinatra, Rita Hayworth and Kim Novak, which earned four Academy Award nominations.

Hoff won a 2006 Featured Actor Tony Award for his performance as Tommy DeVito in Jersey Boys and has remained with the show since it opened in the fall of 2005. His other Broadway and national theater credits include The Who's Tommy, Jesus Christ Superstar, Rocky Horror Show, Lone Star Love, George M!, Will Rogers Follies, Pageant, Camelot and Big River. Film and television credits include JAG, Party of Five, ER, All My Children and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

Channing won a Best Actress Tony in 1985 for her role in Joe Egg. Broadway credits include The Lion in Winter, The Little Foxes, Six Degrees of Separation and They're Playing Our Song; off-Broadway credits include Six Degrees of Separation, Love Letters, Woman in Mind and The House of Blue Leaves. Known for her film performance as Rizzo in Grease, Channing earned an Academy Award nomination for Six Degrees. Of her many television appearances, Channing's recurring role as The First Lady on The West Wing won her an Emmy in 2002.

Plimpton, who will make Broadway musical debut as chorus girl Gladys Bumps, received a 2008 Tony nomination for her performance in Top Girls and was nominated last season for her performance in The Coast of Utopia. Additional Broadway credits include Cymbeline, Shining City and Sixteen Wounded. Off-Broadway credits include A Midsummer Night's Dream, Boston Marriage, subUrbia and Pericles. Plimpton's film and television credits include Parenthood, ER, 7th Heaven and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

Pal Joey's creative team includes musical direction by Tony Award winner Paul Gemignani, costumes by William Ivey Long, lighting by Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer, sound by Tony Meola and orchestrations by Don Sebesky.