Netflix’s The Irishman is headed to Broadway. No, not some musical version or star-studded stage play, but the actual Martin Scorsese film starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci.
From Nov. 1 to Dec. 1, The Irishman will screen at the Shubert Organization’s historic Belasco Theatre, mimicking the standard Broadway schedule of eight performances per week (Tuesday through Sunday evenings, with matinees on Saturday and Sunday; as is traditional on Broadway, the theater will be dark on Mondays, with no screenings).
The unusual arrangement – hailed by the preservation-minded Scorsese as a way to showcase his film in the type of ornate theater in which New Yorkers could once routinely view films – will be the first film screening ever in the Belasco’s 112-year history (the theater was an NBC studio for several years in the early 1950s). Netflix will provide what it describes as state-of-the-art equipment for the screenings.
“We’ve lost so many wonderful theaters in New York City in recent years, including single house theaters like the Ziegfeld and the Paris,” Scorsese said in a statement. “The opportunity to recreate that singular experience at the historic Belasco Theatre is incredibly exciting.”
Scorsese also expressed gratitude to Ted Sarandos, Scott Stuber, and their Netflix team for finding “creative ways to make this picture a special event for audiences and I’m thankful for their innovation and commitment.”
The Irishman launches on Netflix Nov. 27, but will get a prior theatrical release – in addition to the Belasco showings – to meet Oscar eligibility rules.
“It’s an immense honor for The Irishman to be welcomed to the Belasco,” said Stuber, head of Netflix Film, “an iconic and historic landmark fit for Scorsese’s latest cinematic achievement.”
The booking arrives at a convenient time for the intimate, 1,018-seat, neo-Georgian structure on W. 44th Street in Manhattan’s theater district. The Belasco’s most recent tenant, Ivo van Hove’s limited-run Network starring Bryan Cranston, closed June 8. The next announced theatrical tenant is Girl From The North Country, the acclaimed musical written and directed by Conor McPherson, with a score of “reimagined” Bob Dylan songs, that played a sold-out run last fall at the Off Broadway Public Theater.
Previews of Girl From The North Country begin at the Belasco Friday, Feb. 7, 2020, with opening night set for Thursday, March 5.
The Irishman marks a return of sorts to the Belasco for Pacino, who won the first of his two Tony Awards at the theater for his 1969 Broadway debut in Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie? (His second Tony came in 1977 for The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel).
Others associated with The Irishman have Broadway connections as well: Scorsese directed the 1977 Liza Minnelli musical The Act; De Niro starred in 1986’s Cuba and His Teddy Bear in 1986 and directed, with Jerry Zaks, A Bronx Tale The Musical in 2016; Harvey Keitel starred in 1984’s Hurlyburly and 1975’s Death of a Salesman; and Bobby Cannavale’s various Broadway credits include, most recently, last season’s The Lifespan of a Fact, co-starring Daniel Radcliffe and Cherry Jones.
Tickets for The Irishman at the Belasco will be priced at $15, on sale next week.
Check out the trailer here:
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