Nathan Lane will return to Terrence McNally’s comedy “It’s Only a Play” at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theater on March 31, the play’s producers announced on Wednesday. He replaces Martin Short, who has been pinch-hitting since Mr. Lane left on Jan. 4 to honor a previous commitment to appear with Brian Dennehy at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in the Eugene O’Neill drama “The Iceman Cometh.” Mr. Lane will remain in “It’s Only a Play” until its scheduled closing date of June 7.
With the return of Mr. Lane, one of Broadway’s most potent one-two combinations swings back into action. He and his co-star, Matthew Broderick, have been a powerful box office draw in past productions. Their form has held in “It’s Only a Play,” which, by the time it opened on Oct. 9, was already taking in more than $1 million a week at the box office, recouped its capitalization of $3.9 million in December and has twice extended its run. After Mr. Lane departed, the show, while still profitable, saw its box office receipts drop by half.
Mr. Lane plays James Wicker, a television star whose best friend, Peter Austin (Matthew Broderick), nervously awaits the reviews of his new show at an opening-night party. The cast includes F. Murray Abraham, Stockard Channing, Katie Finneran, Maulik Pancholy and Micah Stock.