Will Ferrell's Broadway Debut, You're Welcome America, To Open Feb. 5, 2009
By Kenneth Jones
31 Oct 2008
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Will Ferrell in "Old School"
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| photo by Dreamworks |
Writer and actor Will Ferrell's new one-man Broadway show, You're Welcome America. A Final Night with George W Bush, representing the TV and film star's Broadway debut, will open Feb. 5, 2009, after previews from Jan. 20 at the Cort Theatre, the producers announced Oct. 31.
The show will be directed by Adam McKay, Ferrell's longtime collaborator, and director of the comedy
films "Anchorman," "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" and the recent "Step Brothers," all Ferrell vehicles.
The first day of previews, Jan. 20, coincides with the United States Presidential Inauguration. These dates vary slightly from those reported earlier this month.
The limited engagement will run through March 15, 2009, a brief stay by Broadway standards.
You're Welcome America. A Final Night with George W Bush (the odd punctuation is the creators' wish) is being produced by Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel and Steve Traxler, the
producing team behind the current August: Osage County and
Speed-the-Plow, as well as Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's Gary Sanchez Productions with Executive Producer Jessica Elbaum.
Ticketing information will be announced soon.
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Ferrell completed his seventh and final season on the legendary NBC
late-night hit "Saturday Night Live" in 2002, amusing viewers by
impersonating President George W. Bush on the show. Some of his most memorable SNL characters include Craig the Spartan Cheerleader, musical middle school teacher Marty Culp, and Tom Wilkins, the hyperactive co-host of "Morning Latte." He also appeared as Janet Reno, Alex Trebek, Neil Diamond and late Chicago Cubs sportscaster Harry Caray. His work on "SNL" earned two Emmy nominations in 2001 (Outstanding Individual Performance
in a Variety or Music Program, and Outstanding Writing for a Variety,
Music or Comedy Program).
A previous report in The New York Post said Ferrell's show will "be autobiographical and include anecdotes about the comedian's work on 'Saturday Night Live.'" Ferrell will also likely offer some of his impersonations; among the many he presented on "Saturday Night Live" were impressions of Neil Diamond, President George W. Bush, Robert Goulet and James Lipton.
In 2006, Ferrell earned his second Golden Globe nomination (Best Actor
in a Comedy or Musical) for his portrayal of IRS agent Harold Crick in
"Stranger Than Fiction."
Ferrell's previous film credits include "Zoolander," "Elf," "Melinda and Melinda," "Semi-Pro," "Bewitched," "Olf Old
School" and "The Producers," which earned Ferrell his first Golden Globe nomination in 2006 for Best Supporting Actor.
He recently wrapped production on his next feature film, aiming for summer 2009, Universal's "Land
of the Lost."
In 2007, Ferrell and McKay founded the video website Funnyordie.com. The comedy video website contains exclusive material from a number of famous
contributors such as Judd Apatow and Jack Black, and has its own "Funny
or Die Team" ("FOD Team") which creates original material for the site.
The site's first video, "The Landlord," has received over 55 million
views and features Ferrell confronted by a swearing, beer-drinking
two-year-old landlord. In June 2008, the site they announced a
partnership with HBO to develop television projects.
Following their website success, Ferrell and McKay teamed together again
to open their own production company, Gary Sanchez Productions.
McKay is a writer, director, and producer known for "Anchorman," "Talladega Nights" and "Step Brothers," which he
co-wrote with Will Ferrell. He is a former head writer of "SNL" and one
of the founding members of the Upright Citizens Brigade. Other past
credits include writing for Michael Moore's show "The Awful Truth."
