Comedian Chris Rock headed to Broadway

NEW YORK, Oct. 23 (UPI) -- Comedian Chris Rock will make his Broadway debut next spring in a play about love and addiction, and a production insider says it will be hugely successful.

The play, "Motherf - - - er With the Hat," opens April 11 at the Schoenfeld Theater, with previews starting March 22, The New York Times reported.

Rock plays the role of an Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor working with a recovering addict whose longtime love remains ensnared by drugs and alcohol, the report said.

The play, produced by Scott Rudin, will be directed by Anna D. Shapirio, who won a Tony Award in 2008 for "August: Osage County."

Bobby Cannavale plays the role of the recovering addict; Elizabeth Rodriguez plays his paramour.

A source who attended one of the play's readings said the funny role belongs to Cannavale, not Rock.

"It's high-octane, a real barrage of invective. The funny role is really Cannavale's, not Rock's," the source said in the Times. "He'll get laughs, I'm sure, but it's a role for a real actor, and it will be interesting to see him creating a character that is not himself."

Rock said he wanted the show to be an ensemble production, not a star vehicle.

"Chris does not want to be singled out as 'the star,' " the source said. "He wanted a good part, and he wanted to work with good actors. Scott delivered on both fronts."

Other actors are Annabella Sciorra and Yul Vazquez, the New York Post said.