STAR WARS Princess Fisher Bringing Her Force to Broadway

Carrie Fisher, who gained immortality as Princess Leia in the first STAR WARS films and later proved herself both an astute writer (POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE) and formidable comic actress (WHEN HARRY MET SALLY), is eyeing a spring 2009 opening for her one woman autobiographical show, WISHFUL DRINKING, according to Playbill (www.playbill.com).

The production, which recently set a box office record for Berkeley Repertory Theatre, grossing $1.3 million in 9½ weeks, is set to play Sante Fe, San Jose, Hartford, Washington DC and Boston between now and the end of October. More dates may be added before the play makes its Broadway bow at a date and theatre still to be determined.

Fisher, who has been incredibly open and honest about her experiences with addictive substances and with bipolar disorder, is noted for her wry and sometimes darkly comic way of looking at things.

In production notes, Fisher states that "I was essentially raised in my mother's nightclub act, so it's very natural for me to do what most people find unnatural — get on stage and tell stories. I always say, 'If my life weren't funny, it would just be true — and that's unacceptable.' So please come to see my show, otherwise I'll end up talking about myself alone in the dark. Again!"

Broadway can be a gamble for stars known primarily for their work in Hollywood. Billy Crystal was greeted warmly by both critics and audiences with his hit one-man show a few seasons back, but there’s also the possibility of earning the kind of public drubbing given Suzanne Somers for her THE BLONDE IN THE THUNDERBIRD.

But Fisher’s is at the least a distinctive voice, backed up with a wit that can cut like the most finely honed knife. And with a career and life that encompasses Debbie Reynolds, Elizabeth Taylor, George Lucas, Harrison Ford, Paul Simon and so many others, as well as a fair share of personal drama, there’s plenty of potential.