Sunday, November 24, 2024

UPDATED: Outside Producers Move in for the Kill as Scott Rudin Exits Broadway League Under Dark Cloud

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UPDATED MONDAY MORNING APRIL 26TH
The vultures are circling Scott Rudin’s shows.

Revealed in a New York Times article this afternoon was news that Rudin has resigned from the Broadway League. He’s really out, done, it’s over at least for now. He’s giving up running a slew of hit shows.

Now outside producers are vying to take over “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “West Side Story,” “Book of Mormon,” and so on.

I’m told that Barry and Fran Weissler, of “Chicago” fame, may have already stepped in on Mormon. But a “Mormon” spokesman says it’s not true. “No one is stepping in.”

Matt Stone, who created “Mormon” with Trey Parker of “South Park,” says in the Times article that he and another producer told Rudin he had to relinquish his role in the show.

Of course, what all producers want is to get their hands on “The Music Man” with Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster. “It’s the perfect show for our times,” a top Broadway producer told me today. “Coming out of the pandemic, with all that upbeat singing, and Hugh Jackman. It’s a gold mine.”

Rudin also has some new productions waiting to go forward including “Our Town” with Dustin Hoffman, which will be a hot ticket. And Denzel Washington is set to star in August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson.”

But what about Rudin? A top Broadway producer who comes from corporate America praised the way Rudin has handled his scandal. “He didn’t deny it, and didn’t resist. He just said Ok, I’m guilty, I’m leaving, I’m out. He definitely took a crisis manager’s advice, unlike Harvey Weinstein or Les Moonves. It was brilliant.

“The question now,” says the theater veteran, “is who takes over? Scott has unique access to Hollywood and Broadway. He also had vision. Who can fill that void? I don’t know.”

And the bigger question: Can Scott Rudin come back? “If anyone can,” says this observer, “he can.”

 

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

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