Two planned preview performances of the Broadway show “Bug” starring “White Lotus” actress Carrie Coon were abruptly cancelled due to a medical issue.
People says they were told by a rep for the show on Wednesday, January 7, “Act 2 of today’s matinee and this evening’s performance were cancelled due to an illness within the company.” There is no word on who the illness affected.
The report also says a source at the matinee revealed that intermission “went on a little longer than usual before a crew member walked on stage and informed the audience of the hold.” The audience was not informed of the illness, but instead was told “there were backstage technical difficulties,” per the insider.
“Bug” Opening Night Will Go On As Planned
Deadline reported on January 7 that as of that evening, the January 8 opening night was still scheduled to go forward as planned at 6 p.m. The outlet says Coon’s “White Lotus” costars F. Murray Abraham, Jon Gries, and Sam Nivola are expected to attend.
The outlet also lists several other notable people expected to be in the opening night audience, including Michael Shannon, who starred in both the original 1996 “Bug” production as well as the 2006 film adaptation by William Friedkin. “Six Feet Under” star Lauren Ambrose and “Knocked Up” star Iris Apatow are also among the many entertainers expected to attend.
Coon, who was nominated for a Tony Award for her 2013 performance in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”, is joined on the cast by “American Rust” star Namir Smallwood, Randall Arney, Jennifer Engstrom, and Steve Key.
Carrie Coon Discusses ‘Bug’
Coon discussed “Bug,” which was written by her husband Tracy Letts, in a Broadway World interview last month.
She said of the production, “This one is truly rock’n’roll. This is the kind of play that will bring people back to the theater after they’ve come for the first time. Cause you never forget your first play.”
Coon also praised her castmates, saying, “It’s such a great cast. It’s my Chicago cast. We couldn’t have done it any other way.” Coon performed the 30-year-old play for the first time in Chicago just before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. She told Broadway World, “The audiences started off like it was a rock concert. Then they got deadly silent and terrified, and then we got shut down.”
She continued explaining what the project means to her, saying, “It’s such a relevant play for the time we’re living in.” She added, “It’s unlike anything Broadway has this season. It’s fun to do, and it’s only 90 minutes.”
