On the very early evidence so far, though, Sullivan has earned strong marks.
The play, a Roundabout production at the Gramercy Theater, has earned strong reviews for Mr. Rogers and Peter Frechette, who plays his brother, Homer.
(As it happens, another musical, "Titanic," which received largely negative notices on Broadway, is also running in London this summer in a slimmed-down production that has earned strong reviews).
The Soho Rep production has been unnerving theatergoers since its first preview, which sold out like every subsequent performance, and it has earned strong notices that have led to two extensions, now through Dec. 21.
Ms. Davies, a blues singer from Cleveland who will be making her Broadway debut, has earned strong reviews during the show's runs in Portland, Washington, D.C., Pasadena, and elsewhere for her vocal performances of Joplin hits like "Piece of My Heart," "Ball and Chain," and "Me and Bobby McGee".
The 63-year-old actor has earned strong notices for his performance in first-time feature filmmaker Theodore Melfi's dramatic comedy about a cranky Vietnam vet who finds meaning in his life while looking after his neighbor's 12-year-old boy.
