Mark Taper Forum’s ‘Clybourne Park’ Broadway run derailed

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The New York Post is reporting Wednesday morning that the production of Bruce Norris’ Pulitzer Prize-winning ‘Clybourne Park,’ now on stage at the Mark Taper Forum, will not transfer to Broadway this spring, an abrupt turn of events concerning a conflict between Norris and producer Scott Rudin.

The Post’s Broadway columnist Michael Riedel is reporting that Norris withdrew from the pilot of Jonathan Franzen’s ‘The Corrections,’ which Rudin is producing for HBO. Norris, who is also an actor, had been cast as one of the children of a Midwestern couple in Franzen’s acclaimed novel, but walked away from the role. An angry Rudin then cancelled ‘Clybourne’s’ Broadway run.

‘Clybourne Park’ drew an admiring review from both The Times’ Charles McNulty, and, in an earlier off-Broadway run, from the New York Times’ Ben Brantley. It runs at the Taper through Feb. 26.

Michael Ritchie, artistic director of the Center Theatre Group, which includes the Taper, said he learned about the possibility of Rudin pulling the plug on ‘Clybourne’ on Tuesday. ‘We are, of course, disappointed, especially for the cast, but are hopeful that we may be able to find other producers who may be able to step in and help keep this on track,’ he said in an email. ‘Regardless, we have been thrilled by the response here and it is clearly turning out to be one of the bigger hits that we have had at the Taper in recent years.’

Here is the full story.

-- Kelly Scott

Above: Frank Wood, Damon Gupton and Crystal A. Dickinson in ‘Clybourne Park’ at the Mark Taper Forum. Credit: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times