The not-for-profit announced on April 1 that Everyday Rapture would begin performances at the American Airlines Theatre on April 19 toward an opening of April 29. The limited engagement is scheduled through July 11 and is Roundabout's final show of the 2009-10 season; the opening date falls within this year's Tony eligibility period.
Scott (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Aida) starred in the scripted concept-concert-like show — in which she played a hyper-theatrical version of her own persona — at Off-Broadway's Second Stage Theatre in spring 2009. Her Off-Broadway castmates Eamon Foley, Lindsay Mendez and Betsy Wolfe will join her on Broadway. (The Roundabout-presented musical is billed as the "Second Stage Theatre production of" Everyday Rapture.)
The hard-to-define show mixed pathos with absurd humor and drew from an eclectic songlist (a number from "Mister Rogers Neighborhood" was especially poignant) as it told of Scott's character finding a home in the theatre after a spiritual search marked by personal loss and existential questions.
It's characterized as "a young woman's psycho-sexual-spritual journey on the rocky path that separates her mostly Mennonite past from her mostly Manhattan future."
Tony winner Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening) directed in 2009, and will return to stage the production again for this new Roundabout run. This is the second music-infused Broadway show with Mayer at the helm this season; his American Idiot opens April 20. The Everyday Rapture creative team includes choreographer Michele Lynch, orchestrator and arranger Tom Kitt, music supervisor Michael Rafter and music director Marco Paguia. The design team includes Christine Jones (sets), Tom Broecker (costumes), Kevin Adams (lights), Brian Ronan (sound) and Darrel Maloney (projections).
Everyday Rapture features songs made famous by David Byrne, Roberta Flack, U2, The Supremes, Tom Waits, The Dap Kings and Judy Garland. A cast album will be released by Sh-K-Boom Records in May.
Scott — last seen on Broadway as Ursula in The Little Mermaid — is known for her work in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Aida and The Last Five Years. She has also appeared on stage in Landscape of the Body, Tommy, Rent, Debbie Does Dallas, Faust and Over and Over. With husband Kurt Deutsch, Scott co-founded Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records.
Co-author Scanlan was nominated for Tony and Drama Desk awards for his book and lyrics for the Tony Award-winning Best Musical Thoroughly Modern Millie. He is the author of the novel "Does Freddy Dance." In addition, he has published articles in Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Village Voice, Playboy, Playbill, Time Out New York and other magazines. He wrote the lyrics to Jeanine Tesori's music for "The Girl in 14G" on Kristin Chenoweth's Sony CD, "Let Yourself Go." A former actor, he originated the role of Miss Great Plains in the hit Off-Broadway musical Pageant.
Mayer has directed the following productions at the Roundabout After the Fall (2004), An Almost Holy Picture (2002), Uncle Vanya (2000), The Lion In Winter (1999), A View From The Bridge (1997) and Side Man (1998).
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Roundabout's revival of Terrence McNally's Lips Together, Teeth Apart was officially "postponed" on March 25, several days after star Megan Mullally quit the production. Lips Together was to officially open April 29 at the American Airlines Theatre, days before the cutoff date for eligibility for the 2009-10 Tony Awards. Previews were to begin April 9. Everyday Rapture now takes the opening night spot vacated by Lips.
Roundabout artistic director Todd Haimes said in an April 1 statement, "Typically, our productions take anywhere from months to years to plan and execute; for example, we started planning for Lips Together, Teeth Apart three years ago. However, this unique situation has obviously condensed our preparation time drastically. Clearly we would not have committed to Everyday Rapture without making certain that it could be done on a schedule that was realistic for the entire creative team."
He added, "What happened with Lips Together, Teeth Apart is obviously a situation that I never anticipated, not to mention one that I've never encountered before in my career. So, I've had to trust my own instincts and the recommendations of the great team we have here at Roundabout to find the right fit for this particular circumstance."
Everyday Rapture tickets will go on sale April 2 at (212) 719-1300, www.roundabouttheatre.org or the American Airlines Box Office (227 West 42nd Street). To become a Roundabout subscriber visit www.roundabouttheatre.org. Ticket prices range from $66.50 to $116.50.
Everyday Rapture will play Tuesday through Saturday evening at 8 PM with Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 PM.
Visit everydayrapture.com or roundabouttheatre.org for more information.
