Tom Wopat To Be the Duke of 42nd Street?

Though the casting is unconfirmed by the show’s press office, TheaterMania has heard that Tom Wopat may soon be taking over the role of Julian Marsh in 42nd Street when Michael Cumpsty leaves the cast.

Known by millions for his role of Luke Duke on the tremendously popular 1980s television series The Dukes of Hazzard, Wopat is also a trained musical theater performer. In recent years, he has appeared on Broadway in City of Angels and Guys and Dolls, garnering special praise for his performance in the otherwise critically lambasted 1999 Broadway revival of Annie Get Your Gun. He is currently appearing opposite Amy Irving in Anne Nelson’s play The Guys at the Flea Theater. Previous credits in New York and elsewhere include Olympus On My Mind, Carousel, Oklahoma!, I Love My Wife, and The Robber Bridgroom.

The production of 42nd Street now on view at the Ford Center for the Performing arts (on 42nd Street!) is a revival of the 1980 Broadway musical based on the seminal 1933 Warner Bros. film musical directed by Busby Berkeley and starring Ruby Keeler, Warner Baxter, Bebe Daniels, Dick Powell, Ginger Rogers, and George Brent. In their TheaterMania review of the revival upon its opening in May 2001, Barbara & Scott Siegel described it as a “thrilling” experience that offers “dynamic dance, a bevy of great songs, several exceptional performances, and a sweet sense of theatrical nostalgia.”