Eight of Bravo’s Real Housewives cast members will make their Off Broadway debuts in a reimagined revival of Neil Simon’s 1988 comedy farce Rumors beginning this January, producers announced today.
The Rumors revival at the Newman Mills Theater at The Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space will star two batches, in succession, of Real Housewives cast members, with Lisa Rinna, Phaedra Parks, Stacey Rusch and Dolores Catania appearing from January 9, 2027, to February 28, 2027. From March 2 to April 21, the production will star Cynthia Bailey, Eileen Davidson, Carole Radziwill and Candiace Dillard-Bassett.
Seven of the Housewives will be making their New York stage debuts – Lisa Rinna has appeared on Broadway in Chicago and will appear this holiday season in the Broadway “radio play” of It’s a Wonderful Life.
Following the January 9 first preview, the 14-week engagement will officially open January 25.
Directing will be Zhailon Levingston, whose directed the buzzy Cats: The Jellicle Ball on Broadway last season.
Additional casting will be announced at a later date.
In a statement, director Levingston said, “I first experienced Rumors as a child, and I can still remember the overwhelming sound of laughter filling the theater. That feeling of collective joy and release has stayed with me ever since. To me, Neil Simon’s comedy is a masterclass in the architecture of laughter, and I’ve long been baffled that this extraordinary play hasn’t received a major revival in recent years.
“What excites me,” he continued, “about reimagining Rumors through the lens of The Real Housewives is how naturally these two worlds collide. Without changing a single word of Simon’s brilliant text, we can reveal something new in the piece: The delicious chaos that unfolds when private lives become public spectacle. At a time when we are so deeply divided, I can think of few things more necessary than gathering in a theater to laugh together. My hope is to introduce a new generation to the same exhilarating feeling I experienced as a child, while reminding longtime lovers of Neil Simon just how timeless, audacious, and wildly funny his work remains.”
The revival will be produced by Benson Drive Productions (George Strus, CEO).
Here’s the official synopsis: “Reality was just rehearsal. When four couples gather for a party in a wealthy New York suburb, they expect champagne, revelry, and a night of good fun. Instead, they find their host in an alarming state, his wife missing, and the police on their way. Talk about a dinner party from hell!”
See the full poster for the production below.
