Danny DeVito Names 'the Price' as His Stage Debut on the Great White Way

Actor Danny DeVito -- best known as the hedonistic Frank Reynolds on FXX sitcom It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, curmudgeonly dispatcher Louie De Palma from TV series Taxi, and the dispossessed, destructive Dark Knight opponent the Penguin in Tim Burton's 1992 film, Batman Returns -- will make his Broadway debut next year in a new staging of Arthur Miller's The Price.

DeVito joins an all-star cast of Hollywood thespians in the latest revival of the 1968 domestic drama. As we previously reported, actors John Turturro and Tony Shalhoub were already announced as leading men in the play to open March 16, 2017 at the American Airlines Theatre. While DeVito has previously dabbled in Off-Broadway productions, this will be his first foray on the Great White Way.

In a report from the New York Times, the daily newspaper describes The Price as an ancestral apologue detailing the proprietorial plight of police sergeant Victor Franz (Turturro). DeVito, the latest actor to be cast in the familial fable, will test his comedic chops as a wily octogenarian shopowner:

"The drama, set in Manhattan, is about a man who returns to his childhood home to sell off his parents' property; Mr. DeVito will portray the closest thing to comic relief in the play -- Gregory Solomon, an antiques dealer, described as 'antic' by the playwright in a 1999 essay. (Mr. DeVito is 71; the character is approaching 90.)"

The Price is set to be directed by Terry Kinney and also stars Jessica Hecht as Victor's Wife, Esther Franz. Hecht is currently co-starring as Golde in the fifth Broadway revival of Jerry Bock's beloved classic, Fiddler on the Roof. The latest restoration of The Price follows a Broadway season that launched outher lauded revivals of Miller plays like The Crucible and A View from the Bridge.

Deadline Hollywood detailed The Price revival's limited-time engagement:

"Preview performances for The Price are set to begin February 16, 2017 at the American Airlines Theatre with an opening night scheduled for March 16, with a limited run ending May 7."

Below, watch a clip of DeVito discussing his villainous role in the aforementioned Batman Returns.

TagsThe Price, Danny DeVito, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Taxi, Tim Burton, Batman Returns, Arthur Miller, John Turturro, Tony Shalhoub, Terry Kinney, Jessica Hecht, Jerry Bock, Khloé Kardashian, Fiddler on the Roof