Bette Midler, Sharon Stone to Star in ‘The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife’

Bette Midler and Sharon Stone will star in a film version of Charles Busch’s Broadway comedy “The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife,” producers announced Monday.

Andy Fickman (“Parental Guidance,” “Game Plan”) will direct the adaptation of the odd-couple comedy, which premiered on Broadway in 2000 in a production starring Linda Lavin and Michele Lee.

Midler will play Marjorie Taub, an upper-middle-class, Upper-West-Sider in the midst of a volcanic later-life crisis. Her loving husband, acclaimed allergist to the homeless, Dr. Ira Taub, tries in vain to help. But everything changes with the arrival in New York of Marjorie’s fascinating and mysterious childhood friend, Lee (Stone).

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Lee has led the glamorous, globe-trotting life that Marjorie dreamed of. As Lee becomes the Taubs’ permanent houseguest, Marjorie’s depression magically lifts. But Lee has a secret agenda that leads to a wild and unexpected turn.

Robert Cort (“Runaway Bride,” “Mr. Holland’s Opus”) and veteran Broadway producer Daryl Roth (“Kinky Boots”) will produce, with Jeffrey Melnick as executive producer.

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Midler, who just won a Tony for the hit revival of “Hello, Dolly!” is represented by CAA, David Steinberg Entertainment and Larry Shire. Stone is also repped by CAA and Paul Nelson at Mosaic. Fickman is represented by WME and Daniel Rappaport at Management 360.

IMR will introduce the film to buyers in Berlin, while CAA will represent the U.S. and Canadian rights.