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One thing's for certain: If George Clooney is standing in a Broadway theatre, you will pay a month's wages to see him.
A year after setting box-office records as the star of Good Night, and Good Luck, the Oscar winner returns on November 1 for a one-night-only reading of a play (not even fully staged!) that starts at $500 a ticket and meanders up the stratosphere to $5,000. (But that figure goes a ticket to the after-party, so you'll earn the money back in tuna tartare and mediocre white wine alone.)
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At least this is all for democracy instead of the usual capitalism that reigns on the Great White Way: The reading will benefit state-level political organizations ahead of the midterm elections.
The play in question is Smear!, a political comedy by actor Clark Gregg (who also wrote the screenplay for What Lies Beneath), and the supporting cast is no less impressive than the ticket price. Alongside Clooney, the evening will see Betty Gilpin, Laverne Cox, Adam Scott, Glenn Fleshler and Shane Paul McGhie sharing the stage. What stage remains to be seen; the theatre is being kept secret for security reasons.
Smear! follows two jaded political campaign operatives—and former lovers—as they wage a vicious battle over a North Carolina congressional seat that could determine the balance of power in a hotly contested midterm election.
The fundraiser will support The States Project and The States Forum, organizations focused on state-level politics and elections. With control of state legislatures playing a significant role in everything from voting rights to public policy, the event aims to direct money toward races that can have an outsized impact on the political landscape.
For Broadway fans who love a collector's item story, this is a golden opportunity to score bragging rights for years to come. For the rest of us, it's another reminder that there seems to be no limit to how much a Broadway ticket can cost. Even if it's for a good cause.
For more information and to max out your credit card on a ticket, click here.