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Lisa Rinna, Phaedra Parks and Dolores Catania are among the Bravo’s “Real Housewives” stars who are uniting for a new Off-Broadway revival of Neil Simon’s farce “Rumors.”
They will be joined by Stacey Rusch, Cynthia
Bailey, Eileen Davidson, Carole Radziwill and Candiace Dillard-Bassett. This production will mark the New York stage debut for everyone other than Rinna, who has appeared on Broadway in “Chicago” as Roxie Hart and the upcoming “It’s a Wonderful Life” revival.
Written by Simon, the acclaimed playwright of “The Odd Couple,” Sweet Charity,” Promises, Promises” and dozens of others, “Rumors” revolves around a swanky soirée that spirals out of control. Here’s the official logline: “Reality was just rehearsal. When four couples gather for a party in a wealthy New York suburb, they expect champagne, revelry, and a night of good fun. Instead, they find their host in an alarming state, his wife missing, and the police on their way. Talk about a dinner party from hell!” Christine Baranski, Jessica Walter, Joyce Van Patten and Lisa Banes led the original production, which opened on Broadway in November 1988.
The revival, which will have a limited run at the Newman Mills Theater at the Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space, will be directed by Zhailon Levingston, a recent Tony Award winner for “Cats: The Jellicle Ball.” Performances will begin on Jan. 9 ahead of opening night on Jan. 25, 2027.
The production will feature two separate casts including Rinna as ‘Chris,’ Parks as ‘Claire,’ Rusch as ‘Cookie,’ and Catania as ‘Cassie’ from Jan. 9 through Feb. 28, followed by Bailey as ‘Chris,’ Davidson as ‘Claire,’ Radziwill as ‘Cookie,’ and Dillard-Bassett as ‘Cassie’ from March 2 through April 21. Casting for their husbands will be announced at a later date.
“I first experienced ‘Rumors’ as a child, and I can still remember the overwhelming sound of laughter filling the theater. That feeling of collective joy and release has stayed with me ever since,” Levingston said in a statement. “To me, Neil Simon’s comedy is a masterclass in the architecture of laughter, and I’ve long been baffled that this extraordinary play hasn’t received a major revival in recent years.”
Levingston adds he’s excited to tell the story through the lens of “The Real Housewives” to show “how naturally these two worlds collide.”
“Without changing a single word of Simon’s brilliant text, we can reveal something new in the piece: The delicious chaos that unfolds when private lives become public spectacle. At a time when we are so deeply divided, I can think of few things more necessary than gathering in a theater to laugh together,” he said. “My hope is to introduce a new generation to the same exhilarating feeling I experienced as a child, while reminding longtime lovers of Neil Simon just how timeless, audacious, and wildly funny his work remains.”
