Nothing good lasts forever.
After four years of being cancelled, Broadway producer Scott Rudin is coming back.
Rudin and Barry Diller are producing a new play called “Little Bear Ridge Road,” starring Laurie Metcalf and Micah Stock. Joe Mantello is directing.
Rudin was sent away from Broadway in 2021 after enraging just about everyone he worked with, for decades. He was cruel, belittling, dismissive, capricious, nasty, and terrorizing. He threw objects at his staff. The brother of one former employee blamed his sibling’s suicide on Rudin.
But hey, Trump is president, he’s setting up concentration camps and taking away Medicare, so…whatever.
No one has ever said, “I wish Scott Rudin would come back to Broadway.” Dealing with him was a nightmare. The last four years, Broadway has thrived, and it was delightful not to have Rudin around.
Has he changed? I guess we’ll see, but his return will no doubt bring back fake opening nights and a complete disdain for the press. Luckily, none of that matters anymore. Four years and a pandemic have changed perspectives. There are plenty of plays. If you want to see Laurie Metcalf, who will always be a great actress, watch “Roseanne” or “Ladybird.”
PS One of my favorite Rudin memories: he didn’t like to give charity performances for the Actors Fund, now known as the Entertainment Community Fund. He’d put on the performances at midnight, or only charge $40 a ticket so the Fund wouldn’t reap any rewards.
Can’t wait for this round!
