Smash is long dead, but also, Smash lives forever. Debra Messing, formerly known for a primarily scarf-centric relationship to Broadway (and the time she was in Outside Mullingar), will return to Broadway next spring to star in a very conceptual play about time and death and stuff. The Will & Grace star will lead the New York premiere of Noah Haidle’s play Birthday Candles, playing the amazingly named character Ernestine Ashworth. Per the plot description, she “spends her 17th birthday agonizing over her insignificance in the universe. Soon enough, it’s her 18th birthday. Even sooner, her 41st. Her 70th. Her 101st. Five generations, dozens of goldfish, an infinity of dreams, one cake baked over a century. What makes a lifetime … into a life?” Vivienne Benesch will direct the Roundabout Theatre Company’s production at the American Airlines Theatre, with performances starting April 2, 2020, and an opening set for April 21. People on streets, buy your tickets now.
