Nice Work If You Can Get It, Starring Harry Connick Jr., Delays Pre-B'way Run

The new Gershwin musical, Nice Work if You Can Get It, starring Harry Connick Jr., is delaying its pre-Broadway tryout, according to The Boston Globe. The production was booked for an engagement at Boston's Colonial Theatre from December 16 through January 11, 2009. Despite the postponement, producers are still aiming for a Broadway opening in the spring.

The show suffered a shakeup in June when helmer Kathleen Marshall, who had previously directed Connick in the Tony-winning revival of The Pajama Game, withdrew from the production due to "irreconcilable differences." According to the Globe, Broadway Across America-Boston president Drew Murphy sent a letter to subscribers explaining that the show had been "officially postponed" because the production is still looking for a new director. No new Boston dates have been announced for the musical.

Connick is cast as a Prohibition-era playboy in Nice Work If You Can Get It, which features a book by Joe DiPietro and draws on the songbook of George and Ira Gershwin. The new show is said to be related to DiPietro's 2001 regional show They All Laughed, which was inspired by the 1926 Gershwin musical Oh, Kay!