When producers first approached Kristin Chenoweth about playing the female lead in the musical “Promises, Promises,” she was hesitant and more than a little worried about taking on the role.

One of Broadway’s brightest stars, she’s best known for her zany portrayals of upbeat, comic characters in musicals such as ” Wicked” and “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” and she’s won more fans with her television work, first on “The West Wing,” later in her Emmy-winning performance on “Pushing Daisies,” and most recently in a recurring guest spot on the hit series “Glee.”

But in the Neil Simon adaptation of Billy Wilder’s classic film “The Apartment,” Chenoweth would be showing audiences a darker, more complex side, playing Fran Kubelik, a woman who has an affair with her married boss, slides into depression and then attempts suicide. Would the public accept her in such a different role?

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Rhea Perlman and her daughter, Lucy DeVito, have signed on to appear in “Love, Loss and What I Wore,” the upcoming Off Broadway production by Nora and Delia Ephron.

Perlman and DeVito join a rotating cast that also includes Tyne Daly, Rosie O’Donnell, Kristin Chenoweth and Rita Wilson.

Karen Carpenter directs the monologue-based show, adapted from a book by Ilene Beckerman about the stages of a woman’s life as reflected in the outfits she wore.

Show begins previews at the Westside Theater Sept. 21 ahead of an Oct. 1 opening.

source:  variety.com

Nora and Delia Ephron’s stage adaptation of book “Love, Loss and What I Wore” will have a 12-week Off Broadway run beginning in September.

Show will have three casts of five thesps each, including Tyne Daly, Rosie O’Donnell, Kristin Chenoweth and Rita Wilson. Casts will play stints of four weeks each, with exact dates and thesps to be confirmed later.

Production is helmed by Karen Carpenter.

“What I Wore” was first seen in Gotham earlier this year in a series of benefit readings at producer Daryl Roth’s DR2 Theater. Roth also will produce the Off Broadway stint.

Show is based on Ilene Beckerman’s illustrated look at the outfits she wore during different phases of her life. A series of sartorial-themed anecdotes, the legit version takes its inspiration not only from the book but also from personal stories of the Ephrons’ friends.

Production begins previews at the Westside Theater Sept. 21 ahead of an Oct. 1 opening. Some proceeds of the run will go to charity Dress for Success, which provides professional clothes and job support for low-income women.

source:  variety.com