Broadway Buzz

(Newser) - It may have been a pink slip, not a doctor's note, that prompted Jeremy Piven's premature exit from Speed-the-Plow. Diva behavior befitting that of his Entourage persona got him booted, Broadway insiders tell E! Piven—who cites mercury poisoning—wanted out, they claim, because he couldn't handle the nightly grind. He'd arrive minutes before showtime and send out his understudy if the audience size wasn't up to snuff. More »

(Newser) - Mariah Carey: The Musical may be hitting Broadway in 2009. The singer is in talks to bring her life story to the stage, confirmed a spokesman. The pop diva has certainly led a dramatic life, reports the Mirror , from her marriage to Tommy Mottola to her 2001 breakdown. The biggest question: Will she star as herself? If not, reported possibilities include Vanessa Hudgens, Eva Longoria, and Mariah’s fave—Leona Lewis. More »

(Newser) - The idea of Harry Potter getting naked brought a lot of attention to Broadway’s Equus —but star Daniel Radcliffe is getting tired of stripping down with a fake horse every night, reports the New York Post . What’s next for the actor? Possibly a musical, he told his producer. But for now, producers are hoping half-naked promo posters of the young star will boost the play’s sluggish ticket sales. More »

(Newser) - The economic crisis has produced plenty of drama, but it means a bust for Broadway, the Los Angeles Times reports. Investors are jittery about backing just about anything, theaters are cutting costs, and some shows are shutting down early or canceling their openings. "What we had was a small musical with no boffo star names associated with it," says the producer of one canned musical. More »

(Newser) - Just before he died last month, Broadway mogul Gerald Schoenfeld finished a memoir revealing a secret but devastating battle with depression, Jeremy Gerard writes on Bloomberg. “This will surprise many of the people who thought they knew the Shubert Organization chairman well. It did me.” The Great White Way's most powerful player was voluble and outgoing in public, but deeply unhappy. “For most of my life, I never really knew how to enjoy who I was,” he wrote. More »

(Newser) - Jeremy Piven is bailing on Broadway because of a high mercury count, and it doesn’t sound like David Mamet is buying the excuse, Variety reports. “My understanding is that he is leaving show business to pursue a career as a thermometer,” said Mamet, who wrote Speed-the-Plow . The popular play, a show-business satire no less, opened Oct. 23 and runs through February. More »

(Newser) - Jeremy Piven has been knocked out by an illness so severe his docs suggest abandoning his new Broadway role, TMZ reports. Piven—best known as Ari Gold on HBO's Entourage —has missed three performances of Speed-the-Plow . Doctors advise he end his run with the show pronto, his rep says. The agent didn't dish out what's ailing the Emmy and Golden Globe winner, though Life & Style chalks it up to exhaustion. More »

(Newser) - Shrek the Musical has its moments, but in the end, it contradicts its own message that substance trumps what’s on the surface, writes Ben Brantley in the New York Times . The “leaden” show presents a “cavalcade of storybook effigies” that “feels like 40 blocks’ worth of a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade,” Brantley notes. Still, its romantic leads score, transforming “glowery friction into dewy-eyed romance.” More »

(Newser) - Tom Cruise in a musical? After prodding from Jay Leno last night, the star says he wouldn't m