S. Epatha Merkerson, who plays the no-nonsense New York cop, Lt. Anita Van Buren, on "Law & Order," is poised to become a modern-day Hester Prynne in Suzan-Lori Parks' new play based on Nathaniel Hawthorne's 1850 novel, "The Scarlet Letter."
Quoting sources at New York's Public Theater, where performances are scheduled to begin Feb. 25, the New York Times and Broadway.com report that Merkerson is close to signing on as the lead -- a role for which rapper-turned-actress Queen Latifah previously had been mentioned as a candidate. Representatives of Merkerson and the theater could not be reached Friday. Mos Def, who starred in Parks' Pulitzer Prize-winning "Topdog/Underdog," also is in the cast.
