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Jeremy Piven Flees Sinking Ship

As show closings have rippled through the Great White Way this winter, one actor may have decided he's had enough. "Entourage" star Jeremy Piven got middling-to-good reviews in his role as a producer with a conscience in the revival of David Mamet's "Speed-the-Plow," but Piven abruptly dropped out of the show this week, citing... high levels of mercury?

Was the travel show-making Piven really under doctor's orders to stop doing the show, for which he had signed a contract through February 22? Author Mamet apparently doesn't think so, joking to Variety that Piven "is leaving show business to pursue a career as a thermometer." Producers are disappointed that Piven has been spotted partying around town and is chronically late to his own show--which would explain why the play started 20 minutes late when we attended.

"Speed-the-Plow" outlived the other Mamet revival on Broadway this fall, the doomed-before-it-started "American Buffalo" starring Cedric the Entertainer and Haley Joel Osment, but the loss of star power will undoubtedly hurt ticket sales. If you're holding tickets, you may be able to get a refund, but we'd actually urge you not to: **UPDATE 4:30PM** William H. Macy and TONY winner Norbert Leo Butz have stepped up to replace Piven through the run of the show. These guys may actually make better Mametians and more congenial sparring partners with costar Raul Esparza. (Macy, of course, cofounded a theater company with Mamet in N.Y.C.) Having seen the show back in the Pivenian days, we're considering seeing it again. Think of it as doing your bit for Broadway.

Related Stories:
· Piven Speeds Away from "Plow" [Variety]
· Star Power Boosts 2 Shows [Jaunted]
· A Journey of a Lifetime with Jeremy Piven [Jaunted]
· Broadway Shows coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: nyconstage.org]