By Harry Haun
23 Mar 2005

Josh Lucas is also making his Broadway debut, as the object of Laura's repressed affections. "I'm having a blast," he said. "It's absolutely fun, full of life, joyous—this poem that Tennessee Williams wrote about his mother and his sister. I just love doing it."

Lucas took time off from a lucrative film career to do Broadway, but he claims to have no regrets. Plus, he made sure he had a couple of features in the can ready to spring on the public this year: "Stealth, a big action movie with Jamie Foxx and Sam Shepard, and Glory Road, a basketball movie for producer Jerry Bruckheimer with Jon Voight."

Shepard, a reclusive Pulitzer Prize playwright who hides out in the limelight, and Lange have been a couple since co-starring in the film, Frances, in 1982. Was there a connection for Lucas because he co-starred with both? Yes: "They're brilliant talents, and you follow brilliant talent whenever you can. Otherwise, it's just pure coincidence."

Most unexpected celebs at the post-play bash were glamorous Famke Janssen, cooling her high heel profitably between X-Men 2 and X-Men 3 (she's a huge Jessica Lange fan: "You name it, Tootsie, Frances, Blue Sky . . . " ), and Adam Duritz, the Counting Crows lead singer and recent Oscar nominee (for Best Song: "Accidentally in Love" from Shrek 2). He wore his usual dreadlocks a la Lilly Dashe, and one woman wanted him to remove his "hat."

"My last opening was Mary-Louise Parker's play, Reckless," the rocker recalled, "but I try and see everything that I can. I love theatre. I wanted to see The Glass Menagerie because it's one of those five or ten best American plays. I was most curious to see it. I thought it was great. I'd never seen anyone get so much humor out of the play before."

The Shuberts' Gerald Schoenfeld gave a welcoming kiss to the late arriving (from Steel Magnolias) Christine Ebersole, who lent the proper Southern scent to the proceedings. (Maybe the whole cast of Moonlight and Magnolias would have been at home there, too.)

Cherry Jones, who'll likely be squaring off with Lange for the Best Actress Tony, bopped by, too, after her 90 minutes of major-league Doubt and was regaling agent David Kalodner with a report on the evening's on-stage donnybrook with Brian F. O'Bryne: "I must have been doing something right because a particular line that he is often ferocious on, tonight he softened it to a choir-boy purr. I thought, `Oh, great! My job's hard enough without you having them think you're an innocent choir boy.' But I knew I had gotten him or he wouldn't feel he had to soften it. He can play the audience that way. I can't."

Another agent, Matthew Sullivan, was singing the praises of Leslie Kritzler (Funny Girl at the Paper Mill Playhouse a few years ago and, presumably, a client). "She went on as Tracy tonight in Hairspray. It was exciting," even if he said so himself. Hairspray's Tony-winning tunesmiths, Marc Shaiman and Scott Whitman, opted for Menagerie.

Producer Kenwright closed a deal during previews for a major West End revival of Cabaret. It will follow Death of a Salesman into the Lyric, helmed by the hot-shot director of the moment, Rufus Norris, who has three hits on the West End right now, including Festen, which Kenwright plans to bring over next season and redo with an American cast. He also plans to import Primo, Sir Antony Sher's big hit at the National.

"I have to tell you there's nothing taxing about producing," Kenwright said, obviously feeling relief from the usual grip of first-night stress. "It's a privilege to produce. Digging a manhole in the road and putting in the filling—now, that's stress. If you don't get up and thank God every day of your life when you're in the theatre, you should get out of it."

The cast gives their opening night curtain call
photo by Aubrey Reuben

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