MCC Cancels Debut of Neil LaBute's The Break of Noon

MCC Theater has canceled the upcoming debut of resident playwright Neil LaBute’s newest work, The Break of Noon, which had been expected to get an off-Broadway mounting in the coming season. The play had originally been announced for a production running January 14-February 28, 2009, but was rescheduled for the fall to accommodate the transfer of LaBute’s Tony-nominated Broadway debut, Reasons to Be Pretty, which closed June 14. No official reason for the cancellation of The Break of Noon has been offered. MCC recently announced its three-play 2009-2010 season, which will include Still Life by Alexander Dinelaris, The Pride by Alexi Kaye Campbell and Family Week by Beth Henley.

According to The Los Angeles Times, MCC and LaBute may be parting ways altogether following their seven-year collaborative relationship, which began in 2002. During this time, MCC debuted one new play by the scribe per year, including Some Girls, Fat Pig, The Distance from Here and the original off-Broadway run of Reasons to Be Pretty. An MCC spokesperson was unable to confirm the split. LaBute, on the other hand, told the Times that previous commitments to film projects and work on the redrafting of Reasons for Broadway prevented him from completing a final draft for The Break of Noon. The writer works steadily in Hollywood as both a screenwriter and director, and currently has two films in production: The Woman Next Door, penned by LaBute, and Death at a Funeral, starring Luke Wilson, Martin Lawrence, Danny Glover and Zoe Saldana, which he will direct.

A representative for LaBute commented that Noon, a drama about a man’s religious epiphany after he survives a deadly office shooting, will have its world premiere overseas, with director Jo Bonney at the helm. A specific theater, city or dates could not be confirmed, though LaBute has been produced regularly in London.

“It was a scheduling thing,” LaBute told the Times of the cancellation, denying any bad blood with MCC. “Economically it’s a tough go for a lot of theaters.”