Although a spokesperson for the production could not confirm O'Donnell's casting at this time, reports in the New York Post and on television's "Insider" reveal that O'Donnell will join the company of Fiddler — currently headed by Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein as Tevye — in September.
And, O'Donnell's publicist, Cindi Berger, confirmed to Out.com that O'Donnell, who has been friends with Fierstein for years, will join the Fiddler cast in the fall and stay with the production through the end of its run.
There was also a recent, cryptic entry on O'Donnell's blog, located on the internet at www.rosie.com, that indicated the actress was contemplating a Broadway return. In her July 31 entry, O'Donnell wrote about a conversation she had with her son Parker:
"parker and i
on the boat
yesterday
so are you gonna do it - well i am not sure
i think you should
- i worry i am not good enough
- that people will make fun of me
- maybe i can’t do it
mom…u have a GOLDEN BLIMP
- true my son
and well…you have to try
- amen"
Fiddler will mark O'Donnell's third Broadway outing. The actress made her Broadway debut as Rizzo in the 1994 revival of Grease!, and she played a limited engagement as the Cat in the Hat in the Ahrens-Flaherty musical Seussical. The performer also spent some time on the other side of the footlights as producer of the Broadway version of Boy George's Taboo. O'Donnell rose to fame as a stand-up comic before landing roles in such films as "A League of Their Own," "Sleepless in Seattle," "The Flintsones" and "Exit to Eden." Her Emmy-winning talk show, "The Rosie O'Donnell Show," ran from 1996 to 2001, and her more recent TV credits include appearances on "Will & Grace" and "Queer as Folk" as well as the made-for-television movie "Riding the Bus with My Sister." O'Donnell is married to Kelli Carpenter O'Donnell; the couple have four children. O'Donnell's autobiography is titled "Find Me."
The Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof — directed by David Leveaux — will play its final performance at the Minskoff Theatre Jan. 8, 2006. The Minskoff is located in Manhattan at 200 West 45th Street; call (212) 307-4100 for tickets.
