Dunaway, 78, had recently concluded what was to be a pre-Broadway run of “Tea at Five,” a play about Katharine Hepburn, in Boston. The show’s producers, Ben Feldman and Scott Beck, had announced in December that they were planning to bring the play to Broadway, with Dunaway in the starring role; that plan is now scrapped.
The producers announced the decision to remove Dunaway, without explanation, in a two-sentence statement Wednesday.
“The producers of ‘Tea at Five’ announced today that they have terminated their relationship with Faye Dunaway,” the statement said. “Plans are in development for the play to have its West End debut early next year with a new actress to play the role of Katharine Hepburn.”
The play was written in 2002 by Matthew Lombardo, who reworked it for the new production, directed by John Tillinger.
The production in Boston was a commercial run in a venue rented from the Huntington Theater Company. The run was from June 22 to July 14. One performance was canceled during the final week without explanation.
The producers declined to elaborate on their statement. A representative for Dunaway did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Dunaway won an Academy Award in 1977 for “Network.” She has appeared in five Broadway plays, most recently in 1982.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.