Wednesday, July 8, 2026

Exclusive: The Monkees’ Micky Dolenz Will Star in New Play by “Simpsons” Writer

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Here comes Micky Dolenz, actor, singer, and most importantly, star of The Monkees, our favorite group from the mid 60s. Micky has signed to star in a new play by four time Emmy winner Mike Reiss, one half of the famous duo (with Al Jean) who has been writing and producing “The Simpsons” since George Bush was president. The first George Bush.

“Comedy Is Hard” will premiere at the Ivorytown Playhouse in Centerbrook, Connecticut on September 24th. The Playhouse is one of the main local theaters that feeds Broadway, so watch out that we don’t see “Comedy Is Hard” in New York some time next year.

Reiss’s play is set in a home for retired actors and the play takes an affectionate look at the relationship and rivalry between a retired stand-up comedian and a classical actress.

Micky has a lot of theater experience, you know. A child star before the Monkees, his credits include Elton John/Tim Rice  production of “Aida”; “Grease”; “Pippin”;  “A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum.” Most recently he starred in “Hairspray” in the West End playing Wilbur Turnblad.

 

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009, where he covered Michael Jackson, and previously wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine in the mid-1990s, where he covered the O.J. Simpson trial. He also edited Fame magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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