Trek Stars Flock to Broadway

Star Trek stars seem to be flocking to the New York stage. George Takei just recently finished his run in Allegiance, a Broadway musical partially inspired by his family's World War II experience. And, right now, Zachary Quinto is starring in Smokefall, an original drama, while F. Murray Abraham and Frank Langella are about to tread the boards. 

Quinto, Star Trek's current Spock, joins Tom Bloom, Brian Hutchison, Taylor Richardson and Robin Tunney in Smokefall. In it, magical realism collides with manic vaudeville in a family drama unlike any you've ever seen. The Twins swap philosophy while awaiting their birth, Beauty eats dirt and doesn't speak, Father is about to drive away and never return, and a man named Footnote acts as our guide. Whipping from astonishing tenderness to profound humor and back again, this wholly original play uncovers the extraordinary family connections we all stretch and warp across the years but can never quite break. Smokefall just extended its run until March 20 at the Lucille Lortel Theatre. Go to www.mmc.theater.org for tickets.

Starting on March 23, Oscar winner F. Murray Abraham -- who played Ru'afo in Star Trek: Insurrection -- will lead the cast of Nathan The Wise as it opens off-Broadway at the Classic Stage Company. It is the year 1192 in Jerusalem. Muslims, Christians and Jews live side by side thanks to a fragile truce that could collapse at any moment. As the tension mounts a question arises from the ruling Sultan: "which religion is the one most beloved by God?" Nathan (Abraham), a pious Jewish merchant, is charged with answering this question. Go to www.classicstage.com for details.

And then there's Frank Langella, the Broadway icon who played Jaro Essa in a trio of Deep Space Nine episodes. He will star in The Father, a new play set to open at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on April 14, with previews kicking off on March 22. The story follows 80-year-old André (Langella), who was once a tap dancer. He lives with his daughter Anne (Kathryn Erbe) and her husband Antoine. Or was he an engineer whose daughter Anne lives in London with her new lover, Pierre? The thing is, he is still wearing his pajamas, and he can’t find his watch. He is starting to wonder if he’s losing control. Go to www.thefatherbroadway.com for tickets.