'She Loves Me': Zachary Levi joins the Broadway production
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Molly Driscoll Staff writer
Actor Zachary Levi will reportedly appear on Broadway.
“Chuck” actor Levi and Broadway veteran Laura Benanti will star in a revival of the musical “She Loves Me.” Josh Radnor of “How I Met Your Mother” was set to star in Levi’s role but will now not appear in the show.
“She Loves Me” opened on Broadway in 1963. If they don’t know “She Loves Me,” many movie fans are probably familiar with the plot of the musical – “She Loves Me” is an adaptation of the play “Parfumerie” by writer Miklos Laszlo, which was also the basis for the 1940 James Stewart movie “The Shop Around the Corner” and the 1998 romantic comedy “You’ve Got Mail.”
Levi is also set to star in “Heroes Reborn,” the upcoming 13-episode continuation of NBC’s show “Heroes,” and recently appeared in “Thor: The Dark World” and the animated movie “Tangled.” He also starred in the Broadway musical “First Date” in 2013. Benanti has won a Tony Award for best featured actress in a musical for her work in the 2008 musical “Gypsy” and has been nominated for other Tonys as well. She recently appeared in NBC’s production “The Sound of Music Live!”
“She Loves Me,” which is set to open this March, is set in the 1930s and is a classic musical. It has company in such current Broadway shows as “An American in Paris,” which is an original show, not a revival, but is based on a 1951 film; “On the Town,” which is based on a 1940s show; and “The King and I,” which is a revival of a 1950s musical.
But it was an innovative new show that won the top musical prize at this past year’s Tony Awards. The musical “Fun Home,” which is based on the acclaimed graphic novel by Alison Bechdel about Bechdel’s relationship with her father and coming to terms with her identity, won the Best Musical Tony Award over classic musical “An American in Paris." The two productions were widely viewed as the frontrunners for the prize.
In terms of currently-highest-grossing shows, it’s a mix of innovative new shows and classic productions. “The Lion King,” the old Disney favorite, is at number one for the week of Aug. 30, and fellow Disney production “Aladdin” is at number two. However, the hip-hop musical based on the first treasury secretary, “Hamilton,” which just recently opened to rave reviews, is at third, showing an appetite for a slightly different product besides the Disney productions and old stalwarts like "Wicked" that usually top the theater box office.
