broadway

Sasson Gabay of The Band’s Visit, the Movie, Will Join The Band’s Visit, the Broadway Show

Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing

Tony Shalhoub just won a Tony for his work in The Band’s Visit, but you probably won’t be seeing him in the show anytime soon. In the Tony Awards press room last night, the show’s producers announced that Sasson Gabay, the star of Israeli cinema who created the role of Tewfiq in the film that inspired the musical, will make his Broadway debut in it on June 26. Shalhoub took what was announced as a hiatus from the show starting in March to shoot The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, while Dariush Kashani filled in for him, though the soon-to-be Tony winner returned for a few performances in May. With or without Shalhoub, The Band’s Visit still has plenty else going up for it, since it won a total of ten Tony Awards last night, and probably sold months of tickets off Katrina Lenk’s performance of (or maybe just facial expressions during) “Omar Sharif” on the telecast alone.

Sasson Gabay of Band’s Visit, the Movie, to Star in the Show