Old Hats – Bill Irwin & David Shiner (NY)
The Signature Theatre is hosting a new collaboration between David Shiner and Bill Irwin. Â You may remember that they have collaborated once before in the hit FOOL MOON, which ran on Broadway in 1993 for over 200 performances, and then returned to Broadway twice (1995, 1999) Â for another 120 engagements . Â That show, 20 years ago, won the Tony award for Unique Theatrical Experience, and was critically acclaimed multiple times. (show numbers courtesy of IBDB )
Since then, Irwin and Shiner have gone on to do a number of things on and off Broadway, including movies, plays, circuses, and lots and lots of awards.
Bill Irwin won a Tony Award for his role as ‘George’ in the 2005 revival of ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’ His show ‘Largely New York’ earned him 1989 Tony nominations for Best Play , Best Actor, and Best Director. His other Broadway credits include: ‘Bye Bye Birdie,’ ‘Waiting for Godot,’ ‘The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?,’ ‘The Regard of Flight’ and ‘Accidental Death of an Anarchist.’
Bill Irwin & David Shiner reunite on Broadway!
Shiner’s Broadway credits include ‘Fool Moon’ and ‘Seussical. His film and TV credits include “Man of the House,” “Lorenzo’s Oil” and “Silent Tongue.”  He also has directed a number of Cirque du Soleil shows, including Kooza and Banana Shpeel
This is their first collaboration together since then, and it looks to be a doozy. Â The production is directed by Broadway and avante-garde darling Tina Landau and features music by retro-pop star Nellie McKay.
The show promises to recreate the magic of  their show 20 years ago by using music, technology , movement, and of course a lot of their own brands of physical hilarity, Irwin and Shiner will create a wild and remarkable world for a new generation of audiences.
The show has recently extended its dates– it now runs February 12-April 7.
Get your tickets at the Signature Theatre website:Â http://www.signaturetheatre.org/tickets/production.aspx?pid=2366
Here’s a shot of them in rehearsal for the show.(from the Signature Theatre website)
And here’s a video of Irwin & Shiner clowning around at the Dube Juggling store in 2011. Video quality is not great, but strangely, Youtube is not robust with clips of Irwin & Shiner together.