Stephen Adly Guirgis: Theater Ban Before Play’s Debut

Stephen Adly Guirgis, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright behind the new Broadway production of Dog Day Afternoon, was briefly barred from rehearsals last week, according to sources familiar with the production. The incident occurred approximately one week before the play’s scheduled opening night on March 30th at the August Wilson Theatre.

The temporary prohibition stemmed from escalating tensions within the production team, though the specific cause remains undisclosed. Guirgis, who wrote the stage adaptation of the 1975 film, was reportedly prevented from entering the theater for a period before being reinstated.

Dog Day Afternoon stars Jon Bernthal as Sonny Amato and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Sal DeSilva. The play, directed by Rupert Goold, is based on the real-life 1972 Brooklyn bank robbery and hostage crisis. We see not a direct adaptation of the screenplay by Frank Pierson, but rather a new theatrical interpretation of the event, focusing on the psychological and social factors surrounding the crime.

Previews for the production began on March 10th and tickets are currently on sale, starting at $77.70. The limited engagement is scheduled to run through June 28th. The production is a collaboration between Warner Bros. Theater Ventures, Mark Kaufman, Sue Wagner, John Johnson, and Patrick Catullo.

Representatives for the production have not commented on the circumstances surrounding Guirgis’s temporary removal from rehearsals. As of Wednesday, March 25th, rehearsals are continuing in preparation for the opening night performance.