BWW Flashback: Gore Vidal's THE BEST MAN Ends Broadway Run Today, September 9

The limited engagement of the Tony-nominated revival of Gore Vidal's THE BEST MAN gave its final performance today, Sunday, September 9, 2012 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. Gore Vidal's THE BEST MAN began previews on Broadway on March 6, 2012, and opened on April 1, 2012. Upon closing, the show will have played 209 performances. The critically-acclaimed revival about dirty tricks and double-dealing at a political convention recouped its investment just as the 2012 Republican National Convention began. Below, BroadwayWorld brings you a flashback of images, video and important moments from THE BEST MAN's run on Broadway!

"Stage Art" from THE BEST MAN

Golden Globe Award winner Cybill Shepherd, Emmy Award nominee John Stamos, Emmy Award nominee Kristin Davis and Tony Award winner Elizabeth Ashley joined the cast of the Tony-nominated Broadway revival of Gore Vidal's THE BEST MAN this July when original cast members Candice Bergen, Eric McCormack, Kerry Butler and Angela Lansbury departed the production. Original cast members James Earl Jones, who received a Tony nomination for Best Leading Actor, John Larroquette, Jefferson Mays, and Mark Blum, who replaced the injured Michael McKean, remained with the production through its final performance.

Gore Vidal's THE BEST MAN also features Curtis Billings, Corey Brill, Tony Carlin, Donna Hanover, Sherman Howard, Olja Hrustic, Bill Kux, James Lecesne, Dakin Matthews, Angelica Page, Fred Parker, Jr. and Amy Tribbey.

The production is directed by Drama Desk Award winner Michael Wilson (The Orphans Home Cycle Part I, II and III, Dividing The Estate). The design team includes Tony and Drama Desk Award winning scenic designer Derek McLane (33 Variations, Anything Goes), Tony and Drama Desk Award winning lighting designer Kenneth Posner (The Coast of Utopia, Part 2 – Shipwreck), five-time Tony Award nominated costume designer Ann Roth (The Book of Mormon), Drama Desk Award winning sound designer John Gromada (Seminar, The Orphans' Home Cycle) and projection designer Peter Nigrini (Fela!, 9 to 5: The Musical).

A play about power, ambition, political secrets, ruthlessness and the race for the presidency, Gore Vidal's THE BEST MAN is set at the national convention where two candidates are vying for their party's nomination during the primary season. It's an inside look at the dirt-digging, double-dealing, triple-crossing chicanery of presidential electioneering and what could be more fun in a presidential campaign season than these theatrical fireworks.

On February 1st, 2012, THE BEST MAN company met the press and BroadwayWorld was on hand to capture the full press conference with the cast and creative team.

Gore Vidal's THE BEST MAN started previews at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on March 6th, 2012. Scroll down for production video hightlights and photos!

Gore Vidal's THE BEST MAN opened on April 1st, 2012, and BroadwayWorld.com was there to capture the all-star cast's opening night bows. 

Although highly successful, THE BEST MAN's run was not without incident or tragedy. In May 2012, cast member Michael McKean was injured when he was struck by a car at the intersection of West 86th Street and Broadway on the Upper West Side. James Lecesne made his Broadway debut in THE BEST MAN stepping in to McKean's role as Mitch Graham, a reporter from the Washington Post, in the interim. Eventually, McKean was forced to permanently drop out of the show, despite his steadily improving health, and Lecesne stayed on for the rest of the run.

Then, show's creator Gore Vidal passed away at the end of July at the age of 86. Vidal was recognized as one of the foremost authors and essayists of the last several decades, having written a sequence of novels about American history and satirical novels, dozens of television plays, film scripts, and even three mystery novels under a pseudonym, plus more than a hundred essays. As a playwright, Vidal's myriad projects include Visit to a Small Planet, Romulus, Weekend, An Evening with Richard Nixon and, of course, THE BEST MAN.