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Cabaret singer Ann Hampton Callaway will star in Swing. Broadway is getting set to jitterbug this fall when it hops onto the 1940s dance renaissance with a new dance revue, Swing. The show has pushed back the date of its previews and opening by two weeks: it's now scheduled to begin previews Nov. 2 and open Dec. 9 at the St. James Theatre. Cabaret singer Ann Hampton Callaway will make her Broadway debut in the lead role of the musical, to be choreographed by Lynn Taylor Corbett (Broadway's Titanic and Chess). The production is scheduled to start previews Oct. 13, and has reserved Nov. 18 as an opening date, though that may change once a theatre is booked. Swing is produced by Richard Frankel, Steven Baruch, Thomas Viertel, Marc Routh, Jujamcyn and Pace Theatricals. Current Frankel & Baruch Broadway shows include Smokey Joe's Cafe, The Sound of Music, and The Weir. Despite the presence of so many Jujamcyn-related names among the producers, spokesperson Helene Davis said she couldn't say for certain whether the show would go into a Jujamcyn-owned theatre. Davis said tickets will go on sale in early July, or when a theatre is booked. Davis said the entire production will be "supervised by" veteran Jerry Zaks (Guys and Dolls, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum), but he won't be listed as director. The production has not been done previously elsewhere, and Davis said the producers plan to open it "cold" on Broadway without a pre-New York tryout. The score will consist of Big Band-era classics, with no original songs. Corbett's choreography will, however, mix Broadway-style dancing with 1940s-era jitterbug and other Swing-era dance styles. There is no story, per se, and Davis compared the show to themed dance revues Smokey Joe's Cafe and Forever Tango. In addition to her Broadway work, Corbett choreographed the original film version of Footloose. She's designed dances for New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. Davis said the producers expect to hire "top designers" to give the show a retro look and feel.
