Vanities Broadway Bow Postponed

The new musical Vanities, by Jack Heifner and David Kirshenbaum, previously set to begin Broadway previews at the Lyceum Theatre on February 2, has announced that it has delayed its production until later this season. New preview and opening dates, as well as a theater, will be announced at a later date.

Judith Ivey is to direct the show, which will star Lauren Kennedy, Sarah Stiles, and Anneliese van der Pol. Based on the smash hit 1976 comedy by Heifner that ran for 1,785 performances Off-Broadway, Vanities chronicles the comic journey of three bubbly Texas teens from cheerleaders to sorority sisters to housewives, liberated women, and beyond.

In a statement, lead producer Sue Frost said, “the production is being rescheduled for later this season out of responsibility to the investors at this complicated economic time, which makes it very hard to support a new musical on Broadway.”

In addition to Vanities, Heifner is also the author of over 15 plays and has written the book to six musicals, including Leader of the Pack. Kirshenbaum is the composer-lyricist of Party Come Here, Summer of ’42, and Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus. Ivey is the recipient of the Tony Award and the Drama Desk Award for her portrayals in Steaming and Hurlyburly. Her other directing credits include The Butcher of Baraboo, Fugue, Southern Comforts, and More.

The show’s creative team includes Joe Aulisi (costumes), Carmel Dean (music direction), Dan Knechtges (choreography), Anna Louizos (sets), Tony Meola (sound), Paul Miller (lighting), and Lynne Shankel (orchestrations).

Kennedy, who will play Mary, has appeared on Broadway in Monty Python’s Spamalot, Sunset Boulevard, and Les Miserables. Stiles, who will play Joanne, is currently appearing in the national tour of Avenue Q and last appeared on Broadway in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, while van der Pol, who will play Kathy, made her Broadway debut as Belle in Beauty and the Beast.