Bebe Neuwirth will star in a Philadelphia Theatre Company play this fall
And look who's on stage there next week for a charity show: Michael Smerconish, Shaina Humphries, Ray Didinger, and Marcus Allen.
Philadelphia Theatre Company will open next season with a true headliner: Bebe Neuwirth, one of the most familiar faces in TV, film, and stage.
PTC announced this week that Neuwirth will play the lead in A Small Fire by Adam Bock (Oct. 18-Nov. 10). She will play Emily Bridges, the hard-driving owner of a construction business who begins mysteriously to lose her bodily senses and must adjust her life and relationships.
Paige Price, PTC producing artistic director, said in a statement the role of Emily “is massively complex” and “requires enormous bravery and intelligence and empathy. Bebe is absolutely perfect for this part.”
The two have worked together previously, when Price took over as manager of Neuwirth’s symphony tour for two years after a friend of Price’s had to drop out.
Neuwirth, 60, made her name as a Broadway singer and dancer in A Chorus Line, Sweet Charity, Damn Yankees, and two stints a decade apart in Chicago. She has been a frequent TV presence for more than three decades, including major roles on Cheers (1986-93) and Frasier (1994-2003), and has appeared in two dozen films.
She has won Tonys for best featured actress in a musical (in 1986, for Sweet Charity) and best supporting actress in a musical (in 1997, for Chicago) and has Emmys for best supporting actress in a comedy series for Cheers in 1990 and 1991.
The director of A Small Fire will be Sarna Lapine, who has directed Sunday in the Park with George starring Jake Gyllenhaal on Broadway and who is currently directing Little Women Off-Broadway at Primary Stages. She worked with Price at Theatre Aspen while directing Other Desert Cities there in 2015.
The 2019-20 PTC season also includes Everything Is Wonderful by Chelsea Marcantel (Feb. 14-March 8) and The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe (April 10-May 3). A recent letter signed by 19 Philly theater professionals criticized PTC for scheduling three plays that were all by white authors.
In other PTC news, on May 10, the theater will throw itself a benefit titled “Play Brawl,” in which local celebrities competitively act out famous scenes from movies, TV, and other popular culture media. Local stars include author and CNN anchor Michael Smerconish; Fox29 news anchor Shaina Humphries; author and journalist Ray Didinger; and Marcus Allen, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence Region.
PTC 2019-20 tickets are available at 215-985-0420 or philadelphiatheatrecompany.org. Tickets for Play Brawl are also on the theater’s website, under the “Support” tab.