ANDREA Martin has pulled out of “The Seussical,” the eagerly awaited new Broadway musical based on the Dr. Seuss books, theater sources said yesterday.
The actress was going to play the Cat in the Hat, a role she performed in a workshop of the show last summer and, just last month, at a presentation for group sales ticket agents.
But she and the show’s producers – SFX Theatrical Group and Fran and Barry Weissler – could not agree on a time commitment.
The producers wanted her to sign on with the show, which opens at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in the fall, for at least a year.
But Martin has a teenage son who lives in Los Angeles and she did not want to be away from him for more than six months.
“Andrea was great in the workshop … but, due to family commitments, it is unclear how much time she can commit to the project at this point,” a spokesman for the show said yesterday.
Martin’s withdrawal had the producers scrambling for a replacement this week.
Among the names being bandied about are Lily Tomlin, Tommy Tune, Paul Reubens (a.k.a. Pee-wee Herman) and John Leguizamo.
Another possibility is Roger Bart, who has extensive experience playing a cartoon character, since he won a Tony last year as Snoopy in “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.”
“The Seussical” has a book and score by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, whose credits include “Ragtime” and “Once on This Island.”
A workshop of the show in Toronto last summer generated great buzz in Broadway circles.
Last month’s group sales presentation did not go over nearly as well, with some people complaining that the material seemed thin.
But that was bound to happen: Expectations for “The Seussical” were precariously high, so of course some people were going to be disappointed in it.
High-flying expectations are something the producers of “The Seussical” should be concerned about.
Broadway, which loves family entertainment (and the box office receipts it generates), talks about the show as if it were another “The Lion King” or “Cats.”
If it falls short of the hype, “The Seussical” could be in for a rough time.
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Mandy (“I’m a nut”) Patinkin is at it again!
The Wild Man of “The Wild Party” – who, as The Post reported last week, has smacked cast members on stage and spit water in their faces – skipped the show Wednesday night, a performance heavily attended by second-night critics as well as several members of the Tony Award nominating committee.
Patinkin’s fellow actors are furious. They say he is betraying them and the show, which is struggling to overcome a negative review from The New York Times. (The Post gave it three out of four stars.)
Patinkin has been out of “The Wild Party” quite a lot since the show began previews last month. By one count, he has missed 17 out of more than 40 performances, always citing “vocal ailments” as the reason.
He is also driving the producers of the show’s cast album batty with his demands. According to one production source, Patinkin did 50 takes of one song and still was not happy.
His lawyer, Victoria Traube, did not return a message seeking comment yesterday.
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ASIDES
Leonard Bernstein’s “Mass” will be performed at the Vatican on June 1. The Pope is expected to attend, if his health permits. Bernstein composed “Mass,” a theater piece for singers, players and dancers, for the opening of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. in 1971 … More Bernstein news: The composer’s “West Side Story” will be performed at La Scala this year, marking the first time a Broadway musical has ever been staged at the famous opera festival …
Veteran actor Richard Seff has joined the cast of “The Countess,” playing John Ruskin, Sr., father of the famous Victorian art critic. The show recently moved from the Samuel Beckett Theatre to the Lambs on West 44th Street, where performances resume Monday.