Betty Buckley to Play Anna Madrigal in 'Tales of the City' Musical

The role of Mrs. Anna Madrigal, made famous in the early '90s PBS miniseries of Tales of the City by Olympia Dukakis, will be played by Betty Buckley in the upcoming musical adaptation being produced by the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. Word on the street among theater fags here is that the part of Michael Tolliver hasn't yet been cast, but workshops for the show are ongoing, with a scheduled opening next May.

The Tales of the City musical is a new work being funded by the ACT, with music and lyrics by Scissor Sisters' Jake Shears and collaborator John Garden. Armistead Maupin was said to be collaborating on the show as well, but the libretto is being written by Jeff Whitty. We're guessing this means Buckley will be singing at least one song about pot. [Le Fag]