Theater News

I’ll Eat You Last, Starring Superstar Bette Midler, Recoups Investment and Becomes a Broadway Hit

The bio-play runs at the Booth Theatre through June 30.

Flowers in hand, Bette Midler has a regal curtain call on her opening night in <i>I’ll Eat You Last</i> at the Booth Theatre.
Flowers in hand, Bette Midler has a regal curtain call on her opening night in I’ll Eat You Last at the Booth Theatre.
(© David Gordon)

In just over eight weeks, the world premiere Broadway production of I’ll Eat You Last, starring superstar Bette Midler, has recouped its $2.4 million investment, becoming the latest show this season to be proclaimed an official “hit.”

Written by John Logan (a Tony Award winner for the drama Red) and directed by Joe Mantello (The Other Place), this solo bio-comedy, subtitled “A Chat with Sue Mengers,” began performances on April 5 at the Booth Theatre and opened on April 24. The production will end its strictly limited engagement 36 performances from now on Sunday, June 30.

In her lifetime, Mengers, who died in 2011, was one of Hollywood’s major players: a no-nonsense, high-powered female agent in the traditionally male-dominated industry. She coined the word “superagent” to describe herself. Having climbed through the ranks from receptionist to agent at well-known firms including William Morris and I.C.M., her client list included such names as Barbra Streisand, Mike Nichols, Faye Dunaway, Bob Fosse, Steve McQueen, and Michael Caine.

Midler is the recipient of three Grammys, four Golden Globes, three Emmys, and a 1974 Special Tony Award for “for adding lustre to the Broadway season.” She also served as a producer of the recent musical Priscilla Queen of the Desert. On screen, she has appeared in Beaches, The Rose, The First Wives Club, Gypsy, and For the Boys, among others. Her musical hits include “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” “From a Distance,” and “Wind Beneath My Wings.”

The creative team for I’ll Eat You Last includes Scott Pask (scenic design), Ann Roth (costume design), Hugh Vanstone (lighting design), and Fitz Patton (sound design).

Click here for more information and tickets to I’ll Eat You Last.

Read TheaterMania’s review of I’ll Eat You Last here.

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