The Real Housewives Know Rumors

It’s become so common to call Real Housewives “Shakespearean” that it’s a cliché. Well, now it’s time to put those prestige theater bona fides to the test. Eight Real Housewives will star in an upcoming Off Broadway production of Neil Simon’s classic comedy Rumors. Directed by Tony winner Zhailon Levingston (Cats: The Jellicle Ball), the production will feature two groups of four Housewives from across the Bravo-verse. The first group, playing the show from January 9 through February 28, will be Beverly Hills alum Lisa Rinna, Atlanta’s Phaedra Parks, Potomac’s Stacey Rusch, and New Jersey’s Dolores Catania. The next cast will perform in the show from March 2 through closing on April 21. They are Atlanta’s Cynthia Bailey, Beverly Hills alum Eileen Davidson, returning New York City cast member Carole Radziwill, and Potomac alum Candiace Dillard Bassett. It will be the Off Broadway debut for all eight women.

Of this crew, the Beverly Hills women make the most sense Off Broadway. Prior to becoming reality TV stars, Davidson and Rinna both started out as actors. Rusch doesn’t have acting credentials, but she is an experienced presenter, known for her work on QVC. “What excites me about reimagining Rumors through the lens of The Real Housewives is how naturally these two worlds collide,” Levingston said in a statement. “Without changing a single word of Simon’s brilliant text, we can reveal something new in the piece: The delicious chaos that unfolds when private lives become public spectacle. At a time when we are so deeply divided, I can think of few things more necessary than gathering in a theater to laugh together.” At the very least, laughter seems inevitable.