Cedric The Entertainer will make his long-awaited Broadway debut this fall when he joins award-winning actor John Leguizamo in David Mamet's most powerful play, American Buffalo. Under the expertise direction of Robert Falls, this must-see production, sure to be the hottest ticket of the season, will begin performances at the Belasco Theatre (111 West 44th Street) on Friday, October 31. The official opening is set for Monday, November 17.
American Buffalo, one of Mr. Mamet's premiere plays, is a magnet for great actors to showcase their extraordinary talent, and this revival is no exception. Internationally adored and critically acclaimed,
John Leguizamo and
Cedric The Entertainer are not only two stars that spark excitement heard around the globe, they are two phenomenal actors that possess the humor and dramatic force to bring Mamet's words to thrilling life.
John Leguizamo made his Broadway debut in his critically acclaimed Tony-nominated Freak (subsequently recorded for HBO, directed by
Spike Lee) and followed that with two separate, equally successful runs of Sexaholix. He also wrote and performed in the Drama Desk Award-winning Spic-O-Rama. His achievements in Hollywood are no less astonishing. He created, wrote and starred in the 1995 Latino-oriented variety show "House of Buggin" on FOX. His movie career exploded with Carlito's Way, followed by blockbusters such as Executive Decision, The Fan, Moulin Rouge and Ice Age, to name a few. Upcoming: Nothing Like the Holidays and Righteous Kill (with
Al Pacino and
Robert DeNiro).
Cedric The Entertainer burst onto the scene when he made his first TV stand-up appearance on "It's Showtime at the Apollo" and soon became a household name for his groundbreaking work as host of HBO's "Def Comedy Jam" and BET's "Comic View." In 1996 he proved his acting chops when he had a starring role on the #1-rated sitcom "The Steve Harvey Show," and in 2003 went on to star in his own Fox variety series, "
Cedric The Entertainer Presents," which garnered the AFTRA Award of Excellence in Television Programming. Cedric's many successes spanning television and live performances immediately led to starring roles in such box office toppers as Barbershop, Johnson Family Vacation, Be Cool, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, Madacascar, Street Kings and the critically acclaimed Talk to Me. Considered to be one of the most prominent comic actors and performers of his generation, Cedric has performed for 2 US presidents and from 1997-2000 he was one of the four all-star headliners of the most successful comedy tour in history, The Kings of Comedy. This production will mark
Cedric The Entertainer's Broadway debut.
David Mamet is Broadway's preeminent playwright. American Buffalo and Glengarry, Glen Ross are two of his most renowned plays with Crytogram and Oleanna being but two of his Off-Broadway triumphs. Mr. Mamet has written the screenplays of such Hollywood hits as The Verdict and Wag the Dog (Oscar nominations for both), The Postman Always Rings Twice, The Verdict, Ronin and State and Main.
Robert Falls, artistic director of Chicago's Goodman Theater which received the Regional Theatre Tony Award under his helm in 1991, has had numerous Broadway successes. His Death of a Salesman, starring
Brian Dennehy and Long Days Journey Into Night, which co-starred Dennehy,
Vanessa Redgrave,
Phillip Seymour Hoffman and
Robert Sean Leonard are two of his Tony Award-winning productions.
American Buffalo is produced by Elliott Martin,
Ben Sprecher,
Louise Forlenza, Wendy Federman and
Nelle Nugent
American Buffalo will play the following schedule at the Belasco Theatre (111 West 44th Street, between 6th and 7th Avenues): Tuesday at 7pm; Wednesday - Saturday at 8pm, Wednesday and Saturday at 2pm, and Sunday at 3pm. Tickets will go on sale September 4 through www.Telecharge.com or by calling (212) 239-6262 / (888) 268-2020 (outside the NY Metro Area). The Belasco Theatre box office will open on Monday, September 8 at 10:00am.
