Broadway World
Bruce Vilanch & Jerry Adler to Lead RUBBLE at FringeNYC, 8/10-25
Sunday, July 21, 2013; 05:07 PM
EMMY Award-Winner Bruce Vilanch will star in RUBBLE, a new comedy by EMMY Award-Winning “The Simpsons” writer, Mike Reiss. Broadway veteran and “The Sopranos” star Jerry Adler also joins the cast. RUBBLE will be directed by James Valletti, and run for five performances at The Players Theater on August 10th, 14th, 22nd, 24th, and 25th.
RUBBLE tells the story of Alvin, an aging comedy writer who, while on a last-chance meeting with a network executive, gets trapped under a pile of rubble due to an LA earthquake. It’s a hilarious look at TV, theater, heaven, and hell-from one who’s been there…
The cast of RUBBLE includes Bruce Vilanch, Jerry Adler, Jason Jacoby, Bryan McElroy, Amy Wilson and Jeffrey Arnold Wolf.
Bruce Vilanch is one of the most sought-after comedy writers in Hollywood, winner of multiple Emmys and noted as the “Hollywood Square” just to the left of Whoopi. Bruce spent two years as Edna Turnblad, on tour and on Broadway in the smash musical adaptation of the John Waters film HAIRSPRAY. Bruce was seen on VH1’s popular fitness and nutrition reality-series, “Celebrity Fit Club” and he has appeared in “Ice Pirates,” “Mahogany” and “The Morning After.” A frequent guest on talk shows, Bruce won his Emmys for co-writing back-to-back Oscar shows with Billy Crystal. He was also nominated for an Emmy as a lyricist on Eartha Kitt’s gold-selling album “Where Is My Man”. Bruce has spent over 21 years writing for the Oscars, as well as a number of Tonys, Grammys and Emmys. His career was documented in the film “Get Bruce!,” released by Miramax and available on Buena Vista Home Video. Bruce’s one-man show, ALMOST FAMOUS, tickled Off-Broadway audiences for three months and has made a number of appearances around the country.
Jerry Adler is a veteran of over 50 Broadway productions as Producer, Director and Production Stage Manager, including the original MY FAIR LADY (The revival of which he directed), COCO, THE HOMECOMING, ANNIE and many more, as well as the Tony Award- winning GOOD EVENING which he directed with Dudley Moore and Peter Cook – before he began his new career as an actor. He then appeared in Woody Allen’s “Manhattan Murder Mystery” and “The Public Eye” with Joe Pesci. He has since been seen on many teleVision Productions, including “The West Wing”, “Law and Order”, “Northern Exposure”, “CSI:Miami” and was a regular on “Mad About You”. He is an original cast member of “The Sopranos” and was “HESH”, Tony’s mentor/advisor throughout that award-winning HBO Production’s run. His recent films include “In Her Shoes”, “Prime”, “Find Me Guilty”, “Synecdoche” and the soon-to-be- released “Last Angry Man In Brooklyn” with Robin Williams. On TV he was the Fire Chief in “Rescue Me” with Denis Leary, and recently is Howard Lyman on “The Good Wife”. He is the 2013 recipient of an Honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts awarded by the University of Connecticut.
Jason Jacoby is currently starring Off-Broadway in AVENUE Q as Nicky/Trekkie. Other credits include: CABARET, THE PRODUCERS, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (Park Playhouse); LE HOT BLUE (New York Theatre Workshop); THE PIPER (Capital Repertory Theatre); G.B.S. (Clockwork Theatre, U.S. Premiere); RECKLESS (The Gallery Players).