Broadway Rewind: EXIT THE KING Makes an Entrance on Broadway in 2009

As Broadway remains dark, BroadwayWorld wants to make sure that you still get your theatre fix each and every day until it's back. In our daily series Broadway Rewind, we're uncovering footage from the depths of our archives so that you can relive magical moments of Broadway past!

BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge says, 'That this episode of Broadway Rewind features something Toxic, something Royal and something Academic.' We drop by New World Stages for a look at the David Bryan and Joe DePietro musical, The Toxic Avenger. We also visit with two-time Tony Award winner Matthew Broderick and the cast of Roundabout's production of The Philanthropist, but we kick it off at the opening night of director Neil Armfield's production of Eugene Ionesco's Exit The King, which starred Academy Award winners Geoffrey Rush and Susan Sarandon, Tony Award winner Andrea Martin and Lauren Ambrose. Geoffrey Rush told Ridge, 'I just phoned my wife and said, 'Darling I just made my Broadway debut and it's a marker. It's not what I aimed for. I had never really, seriously ever thought about it... I used to listen to a lot of Broadway musical theatre back in the mid 60's when I was in high school. Next to the Beatles, I was listening to Angela Lansbury in Mame or Tommy Steele in Half a Sixpence or Zero Mostel in Fiddler. I'm pretty well seasoned in that kind of energy, and to be able to bring a weird and wonderful play like Exit the King into that arena, has been just so special.'

Up next it was to meet two-time Tony award winner Matthew Broderick who returned to Broadway in Roundabout's production of Christopher Hampton's play,' The Philanthropist. We close things out at the opening night of the off -Broadway musical The Toxic Avenger which featured Nancy Opel. Bon Jovi's David Bryan, who wrote the score, told Richard Ridge, 'It's great to see people laugh. I love comedies. Being in a rock band you wouldn't think that but, I had more comedy records than rock n' roll records growing up. So, when Joe and I got a chance to write comedy, and the funny lyrics, it's been great.'