Now that he’s conquered the standup comedy circuit and Hollywood, Chris Rock took steps this week on his way to tackling Broadway by beginning rehearsals for Stephen Adly Guirgis‘ The Motherf–ker With the Hat.
Set to begin previews on March 15 before opening April 11 at the Gerald Shoenfeld Theatre, the blue-collar comedy has been described by Rock as “The Honeymooners with drugs.” The show will feature the 46-year-old performer in his Broadway debut playing a goateed drug counselor. Veteran TV actors Elizabeth Rodriguez, Bobby Cannavale and The Sopranos alumna Annabella Sciorra co-star in the production that is being directed by Tony Award winner Anna D. Shapiro.
Rock has embraced the unique creative process of Broadway and tells the Associated Press that if the show’s 15-week run goes well, “I could absolutely do one of these every once in a while.”
“I like this process because it values the writer,” Rock said. “Literally, nothing’s done without the writer’s approval — and that’s so different from the movies. In the movies, they kind of hate the writers. The writers’ union needs a Rosa Parks.”
Rock joins a number of Hollywood actors who have either recently hit the Broadway stage or are about to, including Keifer Sutherland, Daniel Radcliffe, Kathy Griffin, Al Pacino and Ben Stiller.
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