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Henry Winkler Returns to Broadway as a Porn Star

The Fonz is heading to Broadway as a porn star.

Well, sort of. Henry Winkler, best known for his portrayal of Arthur “The Fonz” Fonzarelli on “Happy Days,” will return to Broadway this fall as an aging adult film star in “The Performers.” The new play will be set at the Adult Film Awards in Las Vegas, and is written by David West Read.

“The Performers” is set to open November 14 at the Longacre Theater with previews beginning October 23. The play also will star Cheyenne Jackson, best known for his work on “30 Rock” and “Xanadu.” Additional roles will be played by Tony nominee Daniel Breaker, Ari Graynor and Jenni Barber.

Press notes for the play describe it like this:

[“The Performers”] is a romantic comedy about two high school friends (Cheyenne Jackson and Daniel Breaker) – and the women in their lives (Ari Graynor and an actress to be announced) – who reconnect at the Adult Film Awards in Las Vegas. When the night takes an unexpected turn and relationships are threatened, Chuck Wood (Henry Winkler), the hardest-working man in the business, steps in to lend a hand. Sex, love and Barry Manilow intersect in this comedy about the ups and downs and ins and outs of love.

The production will be directed by Evan Cabnet, who also directed Read’s play “The Dream of the Burning Boy” Off Broadway last year. That play was a critical and commercial success, and “The Performers” will be both men’s Broadway debut.

Winkler last appeared on Broadway in Neil Simon’s “The Dinner Party” in 2000, and he also appeared in “42 Seconds from Broadway.” In recent years, his television and film credits have included “The Waterboy,” “The King of Central Park,” and playing lawyer Barry Zuckerkorn on the critically acclaimed former Fox show “Arrested Development.”