When Theatre Raleigh’s Bull Durham: A New Musical opened in Reynolds Industries Theatre this Friday, with its elaborate set and starry cast, it reminded long-time local theater fans of a Duke tradition – hosting a Broadway preview.
Before a new play or musical comes to Broadway, you can often catch the show in another city. Known in the industry as a “tryout” or “preview,” these out-of-town runs give actors and writers a chance to hone a show in front of a live audience and attract investors before it transfers to Broadway.
For nearly twenty years, Duke University programs turned Durham into a launching pad for Broadway. Duke’s “Broadway Previews Series” began in 1986 – just one year before Bull Durham was filmed – opening with the Broadway production of Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into Night, starring Jack Lemmon and Kevin Spacey. After 1993, the program continued as “Theater Previews at Duke,” hosted by the Department of Theater Studies. The last Broadway transfer from Duke was Little Women, the Musical starring Sutton Foster, which ran in Durham in October 2004 before premiering on Broadway later that year.
A Bull Durham run in New York City has not been announced, but with the tagline “Catch it before it goes to Broadway” emblazoned on billboards and signage around town, Theatre Raleigh’s ambitions are no secret. Written and championed by the film’s original writer and director, Ron Shelton, Bull Durham has been brought to the stage by a creative team of Broadway all-stars. The cast features two-time Tony Nominee Carmen Cusack as Annie, and Broadway veterans John Behlmann as “Nuke” Laloosh and Nik Walker as Crash Davis. Shelton named the iconic character Davis, played by Kevin Costner in the film, for a real Durham Bull and Duke alumnus, class of 1940.
Duke Arts has been proud to sponsor this run of Bull Durham and honor one of Duke’s great artistic traditions during Duke’s Centennial year.
— John Brown, Vice Provost for the Arts.
When asked to comment for this story, Theatre Raleigh Executive Director Lauren Kennedy Brady pitched in, “Theatre Raleigh hit it out of the park by choosing Duke University as the perfect place to try out Bull Durham, A New Musical. With Duke Arts history and Broadway connections and its proximity to the DBAP, it’s been a grand slam collaboration with the amazing folks here on campus. It truly feels like a match made in heaven, and we couldn’t ask for a better starting lineup to bring this show to life!”
Bull Durham, A New Musical runs through Sunday, September 22. Duke employees get a 25% discount and Duke student tickets are $10. Log in through Shibboleth to access Duke Discounts. Book now at: tickets.duke.edu
Prdoduction photos by Jennifer Robertson Photography
Interested in celebrating Duke theatre history? Join the Department of Theater Studies on Saturday, October 19 for a Theater Studies Centennial Concert.
Duke alums Heidi Blickenstaff (Broadway’s The Little Mermaid and Jagged Little Pill), Kerry O’Malley (David Fincher’s The Killer, Broadway’s Into the Woods), Martavius Parrish (Broadway’s Into the Woods and Once Upon a Mattress), and Grammy nominee Brian Charles Rooney (Brodway’s Threepenny Opera) will perform alongside current Duke Theater Studies students and student groups.