Although Sinan Unel's Off-Broadway hit Pera Palas lost its diva in December when Betty Buckley pulled out of the production, the show has gone on. Pera Palas opens on the Long Wharf Theatre's Mainstage Jan. 23. Replacing Buckley is Glynis Bell.

Bell appeared in the Off-Broadway production of Pera Palas. Her Broadway credits include the recent revival of Amadeus, My Fair Lady, Heartbreak House, You Never Can Tell and School for Scandal.

Joining her are Jeremy Webb, Jonathan Hadary (Gypsy, Assassins, As Is), Anne Bobby (The Real Thing), Brandon Demery, Kathleen Early (The Play About the Baby), Glenn Fleshler (Dollhouse), Andrea Gabriel, Christina Rouner and Paul Anthony Stewart. Steven Williford directs.

Set in Istanbul's legendary Pera Palas Hotel, which inspired both Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express and the bar in Casablanca, this epic play traces 70 years of Turkish history through three generations of a family living in Istanbul. Unel's works include Single Lives and the award-winning screenplay "Race Point."

Performances of Pera Palas continue through Feb. 17. Tickets are $45-$15. For reservations, call (203) 787-4282. The Long Wharf Theatre is on the web at http://www.longwharf.org. — By Christine Ehren