Scott Rudin, the once-ubiquitous producer who retreated from the spotlight in 2021 amid allegations of workplace bullying, will return to Broadway this fall with Samuel D. Hunter’s Little Bear Ridge Road. Previews begin Oct. 7 ahead of an Oct. 30 opening at the Booth Theatre, with an 18-week limited engagement on the books.
Little Bear Ridge Road—a 95-minute drama that played Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago last year—centers on a sharp-tongued aunt and her estranged nephew who reunite in rural Idaho to sell a crumbling family home and untangle decades of baggage. Tony winner Joe Mantello, who staged the Steppenwolf premiere, will direct the Broadway transfer.
Laurie Metcalf reprises her role alongside Micah Stock; fellow Steppenwolf cast members John Drea and Meighan Gerachis join the New York run. Barry Diller co-produces with Rudin. (playbill.com)
The play’s description, via Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s website:
In the outer limits of rural Idaho, the last two estranged members of the Fernsby family tree, a reclusive aunt and her gay nephew, reunite to sort the mess left behind after a troubled father’s passing. They now face an uncomfortable and universal question: how do we deal with other people? And is connection more trouble than it’s worth? As their relationship begins anew, the two reluctant Fernsbys—separated by age and experience—start to understand the joys and perils of letting someone else into your own story, even if only for a moment.
Rudin’s Controversial Past
The announcement is Rudin’s first producing credit since a Hollywood Reporter investigation detailed years of verbal abuse toward assistants and staff. The 2021 exposé triggered protests, calls for industry reform and Rudin’s public promise to “step back” while seeking therapy and making apologies.
Actors’ Equity Association, which updated its contracts in 2022 to strengthen anti-bullying protections, signaled in March that it will “enforce strong protections against bullying, harassment and discrimination” on any Rudin-backed project. The union also reminded members they can report problems anonymously and—following a 2021 push—are no longer bound by broad nondisclosure agreements that silence harassment claims. (That policy shift was prompted in part by the Rudin revelations.)
Playwright Hunter told The New York Times he wouldn’t have a Broadway debut without Rudin’s support, describing the producer during rehearsals as “thoughtful and passionate and focused on the work.”
Tickets to Little Bear Ridge Road
Exact on-sale dates and price ranges have not yet been announced, but the combination of Metcalf’s star power and Rudin’s notoriety has the potential to bring curiosity and possible high demand—alongside intense scrutiny.
Rudin reportedly has additional productions in the pipeline, making Little Bear Ridge Road a test case for whether Broadway’s updated workplace standards—and public memory—can coexist with one of its most polarizing figures.
