| Hey, keikekaze. I'm wondering where you got that info. Gary Merrill was in Step on a Crack but Bette Davis wasn't. Nancy Kelly had the play's central role when it opened out of town. Rita Hayworth had been cast but left during rehearsals, due to feeling "too physically and emotionally exhausted" to continue, and she checked into a hospital. Kelly turned down the offer when she was first asked to take over, but then she agreed. She later said she took over as a favor to Roger Stevens, who co-produced the play. Kelly played it in Toronto and Cleveland, each for a week. Then she quit, citing unhappiness with the direction. On Monday, September 24, Pauline Flanagan (yes, understudy for the role) took over. It was the first night of a three-week run in Detroit. Then it came to Broadway, and as you say, closed on opening night. |
