Jason Robert Brown's HONEYMOON IN VEGAS Headed to Broadway in 2013; Tony Danza to Star

Honeymoon in Vegas, a new musical, will open on Broadway in the spring of 2013 following a premiere engagement this November in Toronto. Based on the Castle Rock Entertainment Motion Picture of the same title, Honeymoon in Vegas features music and lyrics by Tony Award-winner Jason Robert Brown and a book by Andrew Bergman (director and screenwriter of the film). Gary Griffin (The Color Purple) will direct.

Honeymoon in Vegas will be produced by Dena Hammerstein, Roy Gabay, Dan Farah and Katie Face Productions.

Honeymoon in Vegas tells the story of Jack Singer, a regular guy with an extreme fear of marriage. When his girlfriend Betsy puts the pressure on, Jack finally pops the question and they head to Sin City for a whirlwind wedding weekend. But when Vegas wise guy Tommy Korman catches a glimpse of the stunning bride-to-be, and notices her uncanny resemblance to his late wife, he does everything possible to break up the romance and get his own second chance at love.

Tony Danza, who will star as Tommy Korman, is a television, screen, and stage icon, mostly known for his starring roles on the beloved long-running series “Taxi” and “Who’s the Boss?”, among many others, for which he received an Emmy and four Golden Globe nominations). He appeared on Broadway and in Las Vegas as Max Bialystock in Mel Brooks’ hit musical The Producers, and received acclaim on Broadway as Eddie in the 1997 production of A View from the Bridge and Rocky in Kevin Spacey’s production of The Iceman Cometh. Tony Danza is also a best-selling author, talk show host, former host of the “Miss America Pageant” and “People’s Choice Awards,” and star of more than 20 major motion pictures, including Angels in the Outfield, She’s Out of Control, The Hollywood Knights and A Brooklyn State of Mind.

Denis Jones is set to choreograph Honeymoon in Vegas. Additional casting and creative team will be confirmed shortly.

Composer and lyricist Jason Robert Brown won the Tony Award for the score of Parade. He also wrote the music and lyrics for 13, The Last Five Years and Songs for a New World, and contributed songs to Urban Cowboy the Musical.

Book-writer Andrew Bergman is a prolific screenwriter, film director, novelist and film historian. A principal author of Mel Brooks’ Blazing Saddles, Bergman is best known for writing the cult classics The In-Laws, Fletch and Soapdish. Along with Honeymoon in Vegas, he wrote and directed The Freshman and It Could Happen to You. On Broadway he wrote the hit comedy Social Security, directed by Mike Nichols.

Gary Griffin directed The Color Purple (11 Tony Nominations including Best Musical) and The Apple Tree (Tony Nomination for Best Musical Revival) on Broadway. Off Broadway credits include: Saved (Playwrights Horizons), The Apple Tree, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Pardon My English, The New Moon (Encores) and Beautiful Thing. In London his credits include Pacific Overtures at the Donmar Warehouse (Olivier Award-Outstanding Musical Production and Olivier Award nomination for Best Director). He has received eight Joseph Jefferson Awards for directing shows in Chicago.

Released in 1992, the movie Honeymoon in Vegas starred James Caan, Nicolas Cage and Sarah Jessica Parker, and was written and directed by Andrew Bergman.