Craig, Jackman to star in 'Steady Rain'

Broadway production to bow at Schoenfeld

By GORDON COX

Craig

Jackman

Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman will star in a Broadway production of Keith Huff's two-hander "A Steady Rain," bowing at the Schoenfeld Theater in September.

John Crowley ("The Pillowman") helms the show, about two Chicago cops whose friendship is rocked by a domestic dispute that is not what it seems.

Top ticket price will hit $130 -- a now-common charge for a tuner but a first for a straight play. The top price for a Rialto play is $121.50 for "God of Carnage" and "Waiting for Godot."

Still, price likely won't prove much of an obstacle to ticket sales. The two high-profile thesps already look poised to turn "Rain" into a top-selling hit along the lines of Julia Roberts starrer "Three Days of Rain," which in 2006 racked up boffo weekly sales figures more common to large-scale tuners. Starry production of "God of Carnage" has recently done similarly spectacular biz.

Jackman previously demonstrated his muscle at the Broadway B.O. in the 2003 Peter Allen bio-musical "The Boy From Oz," a hit production that, despite mixed reviews for the vehicle itself, won raves for Jackman's perf (and netted the actor a Tony). He went on to reprise the role in an Australian arena tour that also pulled in big bucks.

Craig, whose stage credits in London include "A Number" and "Angels in America," will make his Main Stem debut in "Steady Rain."

Huff's play had its 2007 world preem in Chicago, where the success of an initial run at Chicago Dramatists led to a 2008 re-mounting at the Royal George Theater. In Chi the monologue-based play, helmed by Russ Tutterow, starred Randy Steinmeyer and Peter DeFaria.

Creative team for the Broadway staging includes Scott Pask (the set designer who won a Tony for his work on "Pillowman"), Hugh Vanstone (lights) and Mark Bennett (music and sound).

Producing team of "Rain" is led by Federick Zollo, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. Wilson and Broccoli are both producers of the James Bond franchise currently toplined by Craig; Zollo, Wilson and Broccoli previously worked together on the financially disappointing 2005 tuner "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang."

Raymond L. Gaspard, Frank Gero, Cheryl Wiesenfeld, Jeffrey Sine, Michael Rose and Robert Cole are also on the list of producers. Gero, Gaspard, Zollo and Jono Gero produced the play's previous run at the Royal George.

"Rain" will be begin previews Sept. 10 at the Schoenfeld ahead of a Sept. 29 opening. Production will run 12 weeks.