The Pajama Game Will Land at Roundabout in January; Harry Connick to Star
A long-discussed revival of The Pajama Game, starring singer Harry Connick Jr., will have a five-month run at the Roundabout Theatre Company’s American Airlines Theatre beginning January 27. Part of the Roundabout’s 40th Anniversary Season, the production will officially open on March 2 and is scheduled to close on June 18.
Kathleen Marshall will choreograph and direct the show; she won the Tony Award for Best Choreography for Wonderful Town and is currently directing the Public Theater revival of Two Gentlemen of Verona. The show’s creative team will include Derek McLane (sets), Martin Pakledinaz (costumes), Peter Kazcorowksi (lighting), and David Chase (musical direction). No other casting has yet been announced.
The Pajama Game, based on Richard Bissell’s novel 7½ Cents, is about a star-crossed love affair between pajama factory superintendent Sid Sorokin and union representative Babe Williams. The show features a book by Bissell and George Abbott — which is being adapted for this revival by Peter Ackerman — and a score by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. Among the score’s hit tunes are “Steam Heat” and “Hey There.”
The original production of The Pajama Game starred John Raitt and Janis Paige. It opened on Broadway in 1954 and ran for more than 1000 performances, winning the Tony Award for Best Musical. The show was revived in 1973 with Hal Linden and Barbara McNair, and it received a City Center Encores! presentation in 2002 (starring Brent Barrett and Karen Ziemba). The 1957 film version starred Raitt and Doris Day.
Connick, who will play Sid, has previously appeared on Broadway in concert and wrote the score for the 2001 musical Thou Shalt Not, earning a Tony nomination for his work. In addition to having sold millions of records, Connick has racked up an impressive number of acting credits in film and television, including Memphis Belle, the TV film of South Pacific (in which he played Lieutenant Cable), and Will & Grace (on which he had a recurring role).
Tickets to The Pajama Game are currently available only as part of a subscription package; single tickets will go on sale in October. For more information, call 212-719-1300 or visit www.roundabouttheatre.org
