Heidi Gardner and Jon Stewart are heading to Broadway for the first time in a new stage production from former Saturday Night Live writer Simon Rich. The project marks Gardner’s first major move since her unexpected departure from SNL ahead of the upcoming season.
All Out: Comedy About Ambition is described as a companion piece to last year’s All In: Comedy About Love. Like its predecessor, the new show is built around live readings of Rich’s New Yorker short stories — this time exploring “ego, envy, greed, and basically just New Yorkers in general.”
The limited engagement will run for 12 weeks beginning December 12, featuring a rotating lineup of comedians performing in multiweek blocks.
Stewart will help launch the production, appearing in the first rotation from December 12 through December 21 alongside Abbi Jacobson, Eric Andre, and Jim Gaffigan.
Gardner joins the cast from January 20 to February 15, performing opposite Jason Mantzoukas, Craig Robinson, and Sarah Silverman.
Her run begins just two days after fellow former SNL standout Cecily Strong wraps her stint. Strong is scheduled to perform from December 29 to January 18, continuing her recent streak of stage work that includes Brooklyn Laundry and The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life.
All Out follows in the footsteps of All In, which served as a springboard for stars making their Broadway debuts. Among them was Jimmy Fallon, who made his Broadway debut in the earlier production — a brief but memorable run that even earned him a portrait at Sardi’s.
Simon Rich, who wrote for SNL from 2007 to 2011, will reunite with his longtime collaborator Lorne Michaels, who produces All Out alongside Seaview Productions. Director Alex Timbers — known for his work on Beetlejuice and Moulin Rouge! The Musical — will also return.
The rotating roster for All Out will also feature Ray Romano, Mike Birbiglia, Nicholas Braun, Ben Schwartz, and Wayne Brady. The band Lawrence will provide live music throughout the show’s run.
All Out: Comedy About Ambition opens December 12 at the Nederlander Theatre and runs through March 8. Tickets are on sale now.
Like “Love Letters,” this seems ideal for short-run stunt casting: two actors, no set, and the script’s right there in front of them.
And the author’s work is so funny that it would take a critic as acerbic as, say, Frank Rich to diss a production.
I would love to see this!!!!