Tony Roberts Will Star in ‘Jerome Robbins’ Broadway’

Tony Roberts and two actors who won Tonys for their roles in “Jerome Robbins’ Broadway” will head the cast of the Los Angeles production, due to open Oct. 10 at the Shubert.

Roberts, best known for his performances in Woody Allen movies, will narrate the show and step into a series of roles in the show’s excerpts from the Robbins oeuvre. He has done this on Broadway since January. Jason Alexander won a Tony, as best leading actor in a musical, for creating these roles in 1989.

Debbie Shapiro and Scott Wise will re-create the roles that won them Tonys for featured acting in a musical.

Although the rest of the casting hasn’t been announced, there will be 12 fewer cast members in Los Angeles than there are on Broadway, said a spokesman for the producers. However, he added, “at no point will there be fewer dancers onstage. Each dancer will be doing more.”

He also reported that there will be four black cast members in Los Angeles.

This comment was in response to a question raised by criticism of the Broadway production of “Robbins” for its lack of African-American performers. Actors’ Equity officials met with the producers earlier this year to express their concern about the issue.

Earlier this week, Shubert Organization chairman Gerald Schoenfeld said, “We are endeavoring to increase the number of Afro-Americans in the Los Angeles cast.” At the time of the protest, he added, “we had a representative cast of many minorities, including Asian- and Hispanic-Americans”--but only one African-American.

There are now two blacks in the New York cast, reported the producers’ spokesman. Director Robbins has total casting authority.

THE PRICE OF PRYCE: “Robbins” is not the only big musical that has been challenged for its minority casting policies. The Equity council met Tuesday in New York for a long discussion on whether to grant permission for British actor Jonathan Pryce to star in the New York production of “Miss Saigon,” where he would play the same Eurasian role that he created in the London production.

Asian-American activists have urged the union to insist on the casting of an Asian actor in the role by using its veto power over foreign performers working on Broadway. The council adjourned without taking action.

But Equity executive secretary Alan Eisenberg did issue a statement Wednesday that condemned “the idea that the producers wish to cast a Caucasian actor ‘painted yellow’ to play the part of a Eurasian. . . . The Council further believes that it was always the producers’ intention to cast the original actor in this role”--despite a statement from the producers’ casting director that hundreds of Asian performers were auditioned in New York, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Francisco, San Jose, Hawaii and Manila.

According to a report in Variety, “Miss Saigon” producer Cameron Macintosh told Equity officials that he will call off the entire production, scheduled to open in March, if he can’t cast Pryce.

KISS ‘CHORUS’ GOODBY: They say it’s for real this time. “A Chorus Line,” at Las Palmas Theatre, will close Sunday.

The producers had announced earlier closings, then extended the show with half-price ticket discounts. It was most recently extended through Aug. 5 without discounts, and “box-office receipts have fallen steadily,” according to a statement from the producers.

Refunds are available at point of purchase for the performances that were scheduled after Sunday.