Dan Steinberg/Associated Press Amber Tamblyn.Beth Henley's play “The Miss Firecracker Contest,†which had a critically praised Off Broadway run in 1984, will be mounted on Broadway this spring and star the Emmy-nominated actress Amber Tamblyn (“Joan of Arcadiaâ€), the show's producers announced on Tuesday. Ms. Tamblyn will play Carnelle Scott, a lonely young woman in Mississippi who hopes that persevering in the patriotic pageant of the title will turn her life around. The character was an important early role in the career of Holly Hunter, who played the part in the original Off Broadway production of “Miss Firecracker.†(Ms. Hunter reprised the role in a 1989 film adaptation.)
The new rev ival will mark two Broadway debuts â€" acting for Ms. Tamblyn and directing for Judith Ivey, a Tony Award-winning actress who is now appearing in the Broadway revival of “The Heiress.†Ms. Tamblyn also starred in the “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants†movies and appeared in several episodes of “House†toward the end of its television run.
Performances dates, a Broadway theater, and further casting will be announced later. This will be the first play by Ms. Henley on Broadway since the 1982 production of “The Wake of Jamey Foster,†which also featured Ms. Hunter. Ms. Henley's other Broadway outing was “Crimes of the Heart,†which won the Pulitzer Prize for drama.
The lead producer of “The Miss Firecracker Contest†is a relative newcomer to Broadway, Larry Kaye, who is also the producer of another play announced for Broadway this spring, “The Velocity of Autumn.†Mr. Kaye, a lawyer, has written and directed theater productions in Washin gton, D.C., and â€" through his company HOP Theatricals â€" has invested in recent Broadway musicals like “American Idiot†and the revival of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.â€
