John Simpkins (Things to Ruin, Bloodsong of Love) will direct the five-performance run of Sweet Smell of Success, which will play Sept. 29-Oct. 3 at the Frederick Loewe Theatre. It will have music direction by Stan Tucker and choreography by MK Lawson.

Sweet Smell of Success, which features a score by Tony and Academy Award winner Hamlisch (A Chorus Line, "The Way We Were"), lyrics by Tony nominee Carnelia (Is There Life After High School?) and a book by Tony winner Guare (The House of Blue Leaves, Six Degrees of Separation), played a brief Broadway run in 2002. Critics didn't take to the dark musical about a corrupt gossip columnist, but a cast album preserves the jazz-inflected, melody-rich score.

Sweet Smell of Success garnered Tony nominations for Best Musical, Best Book and Best Score. Original star John Lithgow earned the Tony for Best Actor.

Both Guare and Carnelia have been part of recent rehearsals and shared their insights and experiences from Sweet Smell with the young cast. Simpkins told Playbill.com that while there has been no rewriting or restructuring, he is taking a unique approach to the piece that differs from the Broadway production.

Also planned is a pre-show talk on Oct. 3 that will include members from the original Broadway cast, including Tony nominee Brian d'Arcy James and Jack Noseworthy. The Oct. 3 performance is also a special theatre industry night, which offers free admission to union members. The Steinhardt cast includes Drew Berezowitz, Livie Casto, Kenny Francoeur, Tricia Giordano, Jarrad Green, Alex Hunnell, Jane Kivnick, Aaron Komo, Rebecca Kostell, Luke Lords, Christian Lowery, Maria Malanga, Christopher McMahon, Wilmari Myburgh, Max Pallman, Melissa Rapelje, Brett Rigby, Tim Russell, Sophia Sapronov, Elizabeth Sauter and Tim Shea.

Sweet Smell will have scenic design by Sonoka Fukuma Gozelski, lighting design by Chris Dallos, costume design by Michelle Eden Humphrey and sound design by Craig Kaufman.

For tickets, phone (212) 352-3101 or visit nyu.edu/ticketcentral/calendar. The Frederick Loewe Theatre is located at 35 West 4th Street.