I’m happy to announce that schedules and theaters have finally aligned, and Significant Other will be transferring to Broadway in early 2017 with its full cast and design team intact.
The show will move into a Shubert Theatre to be announced, and performances will begin in mid-February.
The production will mark playwright Joshua Harmon and director Trip Cullman’s Broadway debuts. I’m incredibly proud to see yet another alum of the Roundabout Underground (Josh’s play Bad Jews premiered in the Underground and subsequently moved to the Pels) taking the leap to Broadway. And I am so happy that Josh’s sharp, funny, and sensitive play will be shared with a wider audience – and will again be brought to life by a phenomenal cast, including Gideon Glick and Lindsay Mendez.
This transfer marks another exciting achievement for our New Play Initiative. Thank you to everyone – most especially to Jill Rafson – for making the NPI such a vital part of Roundabout’s mission.
On the Twentieth Century, our final musical revival of the 2014-2015 season, closed on Sunday, July 19 at the American Airlines Theatre. The critically acclaimed production played a total of 144 performances from its first preview on February 12. Starring Kristin Chenoweth and Peter Gallagher, On the Twentieth Century came in with a roar and was greeted with rave reviews from publications such as The New York Times, Variety, and Daily News. Audiences thoroughly enjoyed this "screwball comedy" that was "performed with manic energy by a super cast toplined by charismatic stars" (Variety).
The Company
The production featured many members of the Roundabout family. Leading actress Kristin Chenoweth performed in Roundabout's production ofThe Apple Tree in the 2006-2007 season, and was last seen on Broadway in Promises, Promises in 2011. Supporting actor Andy Karl performed in Roundabout's revival ofThe Mystery of Edwin Drood(Drama Desk nomination). Mary Louise Wilson received a Tony nomination for her performance as Fraulein Schneider in the Roundabout revival of Cabaret and was also seen in The Women (2001). Many members of the ensemble are also frequent Roundabout performers, and we were thrilled to welcome leading actor Peter Gallagher to the Roundabout family. We also welcomed back David Rockwell (Set Design, Cabaret), William Ivey Long (Costume Design), and Warren Carlyle (Choreography). In the following video, David Rockwell discusses the set of On the Twentieth Century.
The cast of On the Twentieth Century was featured on the Today Show in April, where they performed a medley of "Life is Like A Train" and "Babette." The following month, Chenoweth and the cast performed "Babette" at The Tony Awards while Chenoweth co-hosted the show with Roundabout's Cabaret "Emcee," Alan Cumming.
Kristin Chenoweth won a Drama Desk award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical, and an Outer Critic's Circle award for Outstanding Leading Actress in a Musical. Andy Karl also won an Outer Critic's Circle award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical.
The Porters (Phillip Attmore, Rick Faugno, Drew King, Richard Riaz Yoder) were also a highlight of the production, and they received the prestigious Astaire Award for Outstanding Dance Ensemble. Here they are tapping around New York City!
On May 19, the new Broadway cast recording of On the Twentieth Century was released, and is available for purchase on iTunes and Amazon.
Education at Roundabout was thrilled to have Andy Karl host the fifth annual Student Theatre Arts Festival, held at the American Airlines Theatre on May 18. The evening celebrated design work and performances of students from Roundabout's 14 partner schools, representing the five boroughs of New York City.
Significant Other marks playwright Joshua Harmon’s return to Roundabout following the success of his breakthrough hit Bad Jews. Warm, hilarious, and uncompromisingly honest, Significant Other takes us into the single life of late-twenties Jordan Berman as he confronts the limits of friendship, the inscrutabilities of dating, and the loneliness of adulthood.
Below, in the third installment of our Read/Watch&Listen/Do lists, you’ll find movies and music to immerse yourself in the world of the play and playwright.
MY BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING
This 1997 romantic comedy classic follows Julianne Potter (Julia Roberts) as she attempts to break up the wedding of her best friend Michael (Dermot Mulroney) and his young fiancée Kimmy (Cameron Diaz). Julianne and Michael had an agreement to marry each other if they were still single at their 28th birthdays, and Michael and Kimmy’s wedding is set to take place just before that milestone – and just in time for Julianne to realize she’s loved Michael all along. Among Julianne’s tactics to win Michael back is a staged engagement between her and her friend George (Rupert Everett), who is actually gay. The friendship between George and Julianne helped to define the trope of the gay male – straight female friendship (Newsweek critic David Ansen said of the onscreen pairing, “It is the friendship between a straight woman and a gay man that has the nuances and depths of a good marriage”), and Everett’s character was famously such a hit with initial test audiences that the producers subsequently increased the size of his role.
Brush up on your history (and/or recreate Will and Jordan’s date) with this documentary narrated by Bob Sessions, an installment of “The War File: The History of Warfare” series.
Music Videos for “I Hope You Dance” and “Because You Loved Me”
As the wedding songs for Kiki & Conrad and Laura & Tony (and the imaginary wedding song of Laura & Jordan), these two songs occupy major territory in the emotional landscape of Significant Other – not to mention the landscape of nineties-to-early-aughts romantic ballads. To fully appreciate these songs as the cultural milestones they are, music video viewing is a must.
“I Hope You Dance”
Lee Ann Womack
JORDAN: Oh my god, what is this?
…
LAURA: This is Kiki's song?
…
VANESSA: I am actually in heaven right now.
…
JORDAN: This is the girl who did coke off a FLOOR.
“Because You Loved Me”
Celine Dion
LAURA: What would our wedding song be? A jazz standard?
JORDAN: Eh. Wouldn't it be more fun to be like, ever-so-slightly subversive with the whole thing?
LAURA: What do you mean?
JORDAN: Like, pick something that's romantic but which is also, like, horrifyingly embarrassing, which you know there are people who choose that song without any irony but if we did it, it'd be like sure it's romantic, but also we're secretly ironically dancing to some retarded Mariah Carey early 90's number.
LAURA: Eh. Whitney?
JORDAN: Whitney. Is not. Ironic.
LAURA: No, I guess not.
Beat
JORDAN: Celine.
Significant Other is a limited engagement at the Laura Pels Theatre. For more information and tickets, visit our website.
I’m happy to announce that schedules and theaters have finally aligned, and Significant Other will be transferring to Broadway in early 2017 with its full cast and design team intact.
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