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Tuesday, July 17, 2007
NEWS: Kenny Leon to direct ‘Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner’ on Broadway
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta director Kenny Leon has scored another Broadway show.
This time, it’s a new adaptation of “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” based on the 1967 film starring Sidney Poitier, Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy in his final performance.
At Leon’s suggestion, producer Jeffrey Finn (“On Golden Pond”), has tapped Todd Kreidler, August Wilson’s dramaturg and protege, to adapt the screenplay for the stage.
The show is expected to open in fall 2008.
Leon said it was too early to talk about casting. But “I think it lends itself to a couple of major stars’ being involved,” he said. “I think people will be pretty excited about who we line up.”
“I’ve got about two months to put a first draft together,” Kreidler said. Leon’s associate artistic director at Atlanta-based True Colors Theatre, Kreidler was Wilson’s dramaturg on the master dramatist’s final three plays on Broadway: “King Hedley II,” “Gem of the Ocean” and “Radio Golf.”
Leon’s previous Broadway credits include “Raisin in the Sun,” “Gem” and “Radio Golf.” He recently dropped out of another Broadway endeavor, an African-American version of Tennessee Williams’ “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” because of creative differences with the producer.
“Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” is the story of an affluent young white woman who brings her fiance home to meet her parents in San Francisco. Because her love interest is African-American, the movie was controversial in its time.
Hepburn and Rose won Oscars for their work, which was released after Tracy’s death.
Kreidler said the piece will resonate with audiences at a time when gay marriage is part of the national debate and marrying across some cultures is still a hot topic. He said his job is to preserve the film’s iconic, shoe-dropping moments.
