NEW YORK — Rosie O'Donnell as the Cat in the Hat?
The talk-show queen joins "Seussical," Broadway's musical celebration of Dr. Seuss, for four weeks, beginning Jan. 16, while its current cat, David Shiner, vacations.
O'Donnell broke the news Wednesday during a taping of her television show when Kevin Chamberlin, who plays Horton the elephant in the $10 million musical, came out and presented her with the Cat's signature red-and-white top hat and asked, "Would you be our Cat in the Hat?"
"Rosie wanted to do the role," said Lynn Ahrens, who co-wrote the musical. "She obviously can't do eight shows a week or commit to a year. We adore her, and she loves the show. It's the kind of role a personality can come into and do for a short time."
Shiner's vacation already had been scheduled before O'Donnell was signed for the part, Ahrens said. The actor, whose family lives in Germany, returns to "Seussical" Feb. 13.
O'Donnell, who will donate her salary to charity, will be doing six performances a week. For the Saturday and Sunday matinees, Shiner's understudy, Bryan Batt, will portray the Cat in the Hat.
January and February are traditionally slow months for the Broadway theater, a fact not lost on "Seussical" producer Barry Weissler, whose show received largely unfavorable notices when it opened Nov. 30. Weissler is an expert at boosting box-office receipts by using famous names.
O'Donnell has worked on Broadway for Weissler before, appearing as tough gal Betty Rizzo in his long-running revival of "Grease," which opened in New York in 1994. When O'Donnell left "Grease," she was replaced by Brooke Shields, and the role was played during its four-year run by a variety of television, recording and film names including Lucy Lawless, Debby Boone, Linda Blair, Jolie Fisher and Jasmine Guy.
Weissler's other current musical, "Annie Get Your Gun," now stars Cheryl Ladd, of "Charlie's Angels" fame. In late January, Ladd's replacement as Annie Oakley will be country and western star Reba McEntire.