Nathan Lane Will Show His Butley on Broadway

Nathan Lane, who is currently playing Oscar Madison in the soon-to-close revival of The Odd Couple at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, will return to Broadway in the Huntington Theatre Company production of Simon Gray’s Butley for a limited run this fall. Directed by Nicholas Martin, artistic director of the Huntingon, the show will begin previews at the Booth Theatre on October 5 and will open officially on October 25. No closing date has been set.

Lane starred in Butley at the Huntington in Boston in 2003. In addition to Martin, the production’s creative team includes Alexander Dodge (set), Ann Roth (costumes), David Weiner (lighting), and John Gromada (sound). Butley will be presented on Broadway by Elizabeth I. McCann; additional producers will be announced at a later date, as will additional casting.

Butley is a dark comedy about a literary professor who loses his wife and his lover in the same day. When it was first produced in London and on Broadway in 1971-1972, the title role was played by Alan Bates, who also starred in the 1974 film version.

Lane is a two-time Tony Award winner for his performances in The Producers and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. He has also appeared on Broadway in Guys and Dolls, Love! Valour! Compassion!, The Frogs, and Laughter on the 23rd Floor. Among Martin’s New York theater credits are Hedda Gabler (starring Kate Burton), Fully Committed, and The Time of the Cuckoo. Gray’s plays include Otherwise Engaged, The Common Pursuit, and Quartermaine’s Terms.

To access TheaterMania’s review of the Boston production of Butley, click here.