James Earl Jones returning to Broadway this fall

James Earl Jones returning to Broadway this fall


1 photo
Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

NEW YORK (AP) — James Earl Jones is coming back to Broadway in a play that's almost as old as he is.

The 83-year-old two-time Tony Award-winner will star in a fall revival of the zany "You Can't Take It With You," the 1936 comedy about an engagement that forces a wealthy uptight family to meet an off-kilter one. It was written by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman.

Previews will begin in August, with official opening set for Sept. 28. Additional casting and the theater will be announced later. Scott Ellis will direct.

Jones, who won Tonys in 1969 for "The Great White Hope" and in 1987 for "Fences," was in "Driving Miss Daisy" in 2010 opposite Vanessa Redgrave, and Gore Vidal's "The Best Man" in 2012.

The plot centers on a young woman who must introduce her fiance's straight-laced family to her rather more eccentric family. Craziness immediately ensues.

The play, which won a Pulitzer Prize and initially ran for two years from 1936-38, was last revived on Broadway in 1983 starring Jason Robards and Colleen Dewhurst. Frank Capra directed a film version in 1938 starring Lionel Barrymore and James Stewart.

The upcoming revival of "You Can't Take It With You" will be produced by Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, Steve Traxler, Jessica Genick and Will Trice.

The Kaufman and Hart collaboration lasted from 1930 to 1940. The first play they worked on together was the hit "Once in a Lifetime." Hart's autobiography "Act One" — which ends with the birth of "Once in a Lifetime" — has been turned into a play currently at Lincoln Center.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Photos

Most recent Entertainment stories

MARK KENNEDY

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast