Lisa Rinna is heading back to the New York stage — and she is bringing a whole cast of Real Housewives stars with her.
The 63-year-old actress will lead the first cast of a new Off-Broadway revival of Neil Simon’s farce Rumors, which opens in January 2027. The casting was announced this week, and tickets go on general sale today, Friday, 30 October.
It is a busy season for Rinna. She is also set to appear on Broadway next month in It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, alongside her husband, Harry Hamlin.
What is Rumors?
Rumors is a 1988 farce by Neil Simon, one of America’s most successful playwrights. It follows four wealthy couples at a tenth wedding anniversary party that falls apart when they find the host injured, the hostess missing, and the police on their way. The guests spend the night covering up what happened, and the lies pile up fast.
The revival is directed by Tony Award winner Zhailon Levingston, whose credits include Cats: The Jellicle Ball. It will play at the Newman Mills Theater at the Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space in New York City.
Who is in the cast?
The production will run with two completely separate casts, and Rinna leads the first one.
First cast — 9 January to 28 February 2027:
- Lisa Rinna as Chris
- Phaedra Parks as Claire
- Stacey Rusch as Cookie
- Dolores Catania as Cassie
Second cast — 2 March to 21 April 2027:
- Cynthia Bailey as Chris
- Eileen Davidson as Claire
- Carole Radziwill as Cookie
- Candiace Dillard Bassett as Cassie
The official opening night is 25 January. Seven of the eight women will be making their New York stage debuts. Rinna is the exception: she previously played Roxie Hart in Chicago on Broadway in 2007.
The casting was announced in a press release on 27 October, with tickets on pre-sale from 29 October and general sale from 10 a.m. ET today. For the full casting details, see Daytime Confidential’s report on the casting.
Two stage roles in one season
Rumors is not Rinna’s only stage job this winter. She is also set to appear in It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, the Broadway premiere of Joe Landry’s stage version of the classic film.
Previews begin at the Broadhurst Theatre on 4 November, with an opening night set for 18 November. The run is scheduled for nine weeks, through 3 January.
Rinna plays Violet, and her husband Harry Hamlin plays Mr Potter. Andrew Rannells stars as George Bailey, Megan Hilty as Mary Bailey, and Tituss Burgess as Clarence. The production is directed by Jerry Zaks.
Rinna has said she is excited rather than nervous about returning to Broadway with Hamlin, and that her first rehearsal came the day after she walked in the 2026 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in Los Angeles on 18 October. The couple last appeared together on Broadway in Chicago in 2007.
Why Rinna is trending now
Rinna’s name has been climbing in Google searches in the United States this week, and the Rumors announcement is the main reason. Tickets going on sale today has pushed the story further, and she is also on television today as a guest on Live with Kelly and Mark, alongside Jerry O’Connell, for the show’s Halloween “Shockin’ Eve” episode.
Her recent red-carpet moment has kept her in the news too. At the MTV Video Music Awards on 27 September, she arrived in a custom white gown with a sculptural breastplate, a high slit, and sharply cropped platinum-blonde hair. She told People the look was a tribute to Madonna. “I’m here for one reason and one reason only: Madonna,” she said at the time.
A career built on comebacks
Rinna first became known as Billie Reed on the soap opera Days of Our Lives, a role she played on and off for years. She later became a household name on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, where she was a main cast member from 2014 to 2022.
In her 60s, she has spoken about feeling freer and more daring than ever, and about refusing to become quieter or less visible as she gets older. Her recent choices back that up: a fashion-show runway, a Broadway return, and now a lead role in an Off-Broadway comedy with a cast full of reality TV stars.
The Rumors revival is a smart match for her. The play is a farce about rich couples, gossip, and cover-ups — territory Rinna knows well from her years on reality television. And with eight Housewives stars across the two casts, the production is already one of the most talked-about stage announcements of the year.
She is in good company on the New York stage this season. Stars returning to Broadway include Julia Roberts, whose Broadway connection has kept her trending this week. But Rinna’s double booking — an Off-Broadway lead and a Broadway premiere in the same season — is a statement of its own.
FAQs
When does Lisa Rinna’s Rumors open Off-Broadway?
The first cast, led by Rinna as Chris, runs from 9 January to 28 February 2027, with an official opening night on 25 January. A second cast runs from 2 March to 21 April 2027.
Where is Rumors playing?
At the Newman Mills Theater at the Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space in New York City. Tickets go on general sale on 30 October.
Who else is in the cast of Rumors?
The first cast also features Phaedra Parks, Stacey Rusch and Dolores Catania. The second cast features Cynthia Bailey, Eileen Davidson, Carole Radziwill and Candiace Dillard Bassett.
Is Lisa Rinna also appearing on Broadway?
Yes. She plays Violet in It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, which begins previews at the Broadhurst Theatre on 4 November and opens on 18 November, with her husband Harry Hamlin as Mr Potter.
