Lisa Rinna, Phaedra Parks, Dolores Catania and More ‘Real Housewives’ to Star in Off-Broadway Revival of Neil Simon’s ‘Rumors’

Lisa Rinna, Phaedra Parks and Dolores Catania are among the Bravo’s “Real Housewives” stars who are uniting for a new Off-Broadway revival of Neil Simon’s farce “Rumors.”

via: Playbill

Off-Broadway will get a revival of Neil Simon's Rumors with a cast full of Real Housewives alum, directed by Tony winner Zhailon Levingston (Cats: The Jellicle Ball). The production, bowing via Benson Drive Productions, will play the Newman Mills Theater at the Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space beginning January 9, 2027, officially opening January 25.

The revival will feature two wholly separate casts. Performing January 9-February 28 will be Lisa Rinna as Chris, Phaedra Parks as Claire, Stacey Rusch as Cookie, and Dolores Catania as Cassie. For performances March 2-April 21, the cast will feature Cynthia Bailey as Chris, Eileen Davidson as Claire, Carole Radziwill as Cookie, and Candiace Dillard-Bassett as Cassie. Further casting, by Jason Thinger, is to be announced.

Tickets are on sale for American Express members at RumorsPlay.com. A pre-sale will begin via TodayTix October 29, with general sales beginning October 30 at 10 AM ET.

Originally premiering in 1988, Rumors is a farce centered on wealthy couples drawn into an elaborate cover-up at the tenth wedding anniversary party of NYC Deputy Mayor Charley Brock, whose wife is missing.

"What excites me about reimagining Rumors through the lens of The Real Housewives is how naturally these two worlds collide. 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," explains Levingston in a statement. "At a time when we are so deeply divided, I can think of few things more necessary than gathering in a theatre to laugh together. My hope is to introduce a new generation to the same exhilarating feeling I experienced as a child, while reminding longtime lovers of Neil Simon just how timeless, audacious, and wildly funny his work remains."

Envoy Theatricals' Marty McGuire is general managing, with Emmy Steele serving as company manager.