“To Kill a Mockingbird” concluded its run on Broadway Sunday. But not with the star who was supposed to be there.
Greg Kinnear had been hired to play Atticus Finch starting January 5th, following Jeff Daniels, who’d returned to the show after Ed Harris held sway for several weeks. “Mockingbird” would have been Kinnear’s debut on Broadway.
But the Oscar nominated (“As Good As It Gets”) star of “Little Miss Sunshine” only played two shows. Then he tested positive for COVID. And he was gone,
Broadway veteran Christopher Innvar, a favorite along the Great White Way, stepped up and played out the show’s run. He wrapped up on Sunday night.
It’s ironic that Kinnear got COVID right on the heels of the announcement of the show’s closing. He obviously didn’t know when he signed on that “Mockingbird” would be closing soon after his arrival.
The show says it’s only “pausing” until June, and then returning with Kinnear. (I have my doubts, but let’s hope for the best.)
Kinnear heads up a big all star cast in a comedy-terror series called “Shining Vale” starting March 1st on the Starz Channel. His co-star is Courteney Cox, who’s currently in the number 1 movie, “Scream.” If the series is a hit, everyone will benefit– Kinnear and “Mockingbird.” If he’s not available for some reason, the producers should get Matthew Modine, who’s played Atticus to rave reviews in previous productions.
Look below: Innvar was so in and Kinnear so out, they had custom cookies made for the occasion!