John Mahoney to Star in Prelude to a Kiss Revival?

The Roundabout Theatre Company's upcoming revival of Craig Lucas' Prelude to a Kiss is likely to star stage and TV veteran John Mahoney, according to Variety.

Although the revival has not yet been officially confirmed, a casting notice for the show was recently posted.  The 1990 comedy would be the Roundabout's second offering for the 2006-2007 season.

Mahoney, who is rumored to have been cast, would play the Old Man - the role originated on Broadway by Barnard Hughes. 

Tentatively scheduled to begin previews on February 9th, open on March 1st and run through June 3rd (with the American Airlines Theatre likely to host the production), Prelude to a Kiss will be directed by Tony-winner Daniel Sullivan (Rabbit Hole, Proof).

Mahoney is a Tony Award-winner for his performance in The House of Blue Leaves.  Famous to TV audiences for his role on TV's "Frasier," he is a theatre veteran who has acted at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre and at the Goodman in David Mamet's adaptation of Uncle Vanya, among other productions.  He was also seen in The Drawer Boy at the Paper Mill Playhouse.

In Prelude to a Kiss, the souls of a woman and an old man swap bodies--complicating the former's relationship with her boyfriend.  The original production, starring Timothy Hutton, Mary-Louise Parker and Hughes, ran for 440 performances after opening at the Helen Hayes Theatre on May 1st, 1990.  The film version starred Meg Ryan, Alec Baldwin (who originated his role in the Off-Broadway version), Kathy Bates, Ned Beatty and Patty Duke.

Lucas' other plays include Small Tragedy and Reckless; he wrote the book to The Light in the Piazza.