Heading in B’way’s direction

BROADWAY director Jerry Zaks. Drama Desk Awards. Four Tonys. Nominated for Bette Midler’s “Hello, Dolly!” in 2017. How smart is he? When I rehearsed my suggested one-woman show he yawned, “Forget it!” That’s how smart.

He’s to direct — whenever that is — “The Music Man” starring Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster, with Warren Carlyle doing choreography. But when Earth shut months ago, he was opening “Mrs. Doubtfire,” starring Rob McClure, at the Sondheim.

“In 50 years, I’ve never been told to stop working. Suddenly, the Broadway League said, ‘Go home.’ It’s a real shock. All the costumes, props, scenery, wigs, makeup, backstage crew, notes, personal stuff, everything’s locked up in the theater. We stay in touch, meet periodically and schmooze on Zoom.” Everyone’s frustrated. “The production is shut down. Look, you can’t undo a person-to-person event. You can’t digitize theater. Some members can get unemployment, but we’re in limbo. You can’t sign on for other acting jobs. And suddenly it all stopped.

“We tried out in Seattle in 2019, began rehearsals beginning of the year, done two weeks of tech and were in previews, and the writers were working on it even before Seattle.”

So what’s Zaks doing to keep sane?

“Home in my apartment. Watch movies. Go upstate to our house an hour away just to try to stay safe. Stay alive. To keep my hand in, I worked on an Actors Fund thing with Bryan Cranston and Sally Field. “All our unions — stagehands, orchestras, actors, directors, production assistants — need to agree it’s safe to come back. Our producer speaks with them. But nobody feels secure until there’s a vaccine. Meanwhile, no tourists, streets empty. Doesn’t look like the city we know.”

Many Broadway theaters are old, will many have to be redone? “One thing not possible is you can not change the seating.”