Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe BIGGS IS PLAY'S YOUNGEST U.S. GUEST STAR At 24, Jason Biggs is the youngest American actor to guest star in the hilarious Broadway production of "The Play What I Wrote." Advertisement The show, which features a different guest star every night, was a smash hit in London's West End last year. So far, Alan Alda, Zoe Caldwell, Glenn Close, Kevin Kline, Nathan Lane, John Lithgow, Roger Moore and Liam Neeson all have joined in the fun for the New York production. Directed by Kenneth Branagh, "The Play What I Wrote" is a comedy about a team of British entertainers on the brink of disintegration. One performer, Sean Foley, wants to keep the act alive, while the other, Hamish McColl, wants to pursue a career as a serious playwright. Foley books Broadway's Lyceum Theater and convinces McColl they have been hired to perform his new French Revolution-era drama, "A Tight Squeeze for a Scarlet Pimple." Advertisement Once on stage, however, Foley proceeds to sabotage McColl at every turn, squeezing their act into McColl's very, very bad play. Once McColl discovers the ruse, he decides to leave, causing Foley to frantically search for a star "worthy" of McColl's play. Who that star is varies nightly and certain lines in the second act are tailored to fit the actor, according to their most famous -- or infamous -- roles. The result is a wonderful surprise as the audience never knows who they are going to see that night. Biggs, star of the "American Pie" movies, including the upcoming sequel "American Wedding," and the recent Broadway production of "The Graduate," is the youngest American actor, so far, to appear in the role. In the British production, it was "Harry Potter" moppet Daniel Radcliffe. NEW FILM EXPLORES WORLD OF SOUL Several legendary soul singers are set to attend Tuesday's New York premiere of the new film, "Only the Strong Survive." Directors D.A. Pennebaker, Chris Hegedus and performers Sam Moore, Mary Wilson, Wilson Pickett, Jerry Butler, Carla Thomas, Ann Peebles, The Chi-Lites and others are expected to attend the screening, followed by a party at B.B. Kings. Advertisement With "Only the Strong Survive," the filmmakers catch up with some of the greatest soul singers of the 1960s and 1970s to create what they call a "filmed love letter to soul." Described as a "musical celebration," the film features interviews or performances by Isaac Hayes, Sam Moore, Mary Wilson, Rufus Thomas and others. "Only the Strong Survive" opens in select cities May 9. JACKMAN HEADS TO BROADWAY "X-Men" star Hugh Jackman will play a character based on Liza Minnelli's first husband in the Broadway production of "The Boy From Oz." "It's about the life of Peter Allen and it's a huge success in Australia," Jackman told reporters in California. "It's the first Australian musical ever on Broadway, which is the polar opposite of Wolverine (the part I play in 'X-Men.'" Noting Allen was gay, but still married to the legendary singer/actress, Jackman said: "He was very flamboyant, shall we say? Performer, songwriter, and wickedly funny and irreverent. He had a very complicated sex life; pretty much had everything in there. In the workshop we did for the musical there were probably two straight guys -- me and my boyfriend -- the only straight guys in the cast." Advertisement Although he has starred in musicals before, Jackman, who is straight and happily married, said he wanted his Broadway debut to require taking more of a risk than a more traditional show. "The Boy From Oz" begins rehearsals this July, for an expected October opening, he said.
