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Janeane Garofalo and more join Roundabout's MARVIN'S ROOM on Broadway
ROUNDABOUT THEATRE COMPANY
In association with David Binder and Sharon Karmazin
Announces
JANEANE GAROFALO LILI TAYLOR
CELIA WESTON
To Star In
MARVIN’S ROOM
By SCOTT McPHERSON
Directed by ANNE KAUFFMAN
Previews begin June 8, 2017
Official opening June 29, 2017
Limited engagement through August 27, 2017 on Broadway at the American Airlines Theatre
Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director/CEO) announces the stars of the Broadway premiere of Marvin’s Room, by Scott McPherson, directed by Obie Award-winning director, Anne Kauffman (Detroit) making her Broadway debut.
Janeane Garofalo will star as “Lee” in her Broadway debut; Lili Taylor will star as “Bessie” and Celia Weston will star as “Ruth.”
Popular star of comedy, film and television, two-time Emmy Award nominee Janeane Garofalo will make her Broadway debut in Marvin’s Room. Roundabout welcomes back Emmy Award nominee Lili Taylor (“American Crime”) following her Broadway debut as “Irina” in The Three Sisters, and Tony Award nominee Celia Weston (The Last Night of Ballyhoo) following her turn as “Mrs. Bassett” in Summer and Smoke.
Marvin’s Room will begin preview performances on June 8, 2017 and opens officially on June 29, 2017. This is a limited engagement through August 27, 2017 at the American Airlines Theatre on Broadway (227 West 42nd Street).
The award-winning Marvin’s Room, is a wildly funny play about the laughter that can shine through life’s darkest moments. Estranged sisters Lee and Bessie have never seen eye to eye. Lee is a single mother who's been busy raising her troubled teenage son, Hank. Bessie's got her hands full with their elderly father and his soap opera-obsessed sister. When Bessie is diagnosed with leukemia, the two women reunite for the first time in 18 years. Are Lee’s good intentions and wig-styling skills enough to make up for her long absence? Can Bessie help Hank finally feel at home somewhere… or at least keep him from burning her house down? Can these almost-strangers become a family in time to make plans, make amends, and maybe make a trip to Disney World? Exploring an unsentimental reality with hope, compassion and a dose of wonderfully absurd humor, Marvin’s Room is a life-affirming reminder of the gift we give ourselves when we love unconditionally.
The creative team will also include Laura Jellinek (Sets), Jessica Pabst (Costumes), Japhy Weideman (Lights) and Daniel Kluger (Original Music & Sound).
TICKET INFORMATION:
Tickets for Marvin’s Room are available by calling 212.719.1300, online at roundabouttheatre.org, and in person at any Roundabout box office: American Airlines Theatre Box office (227 West 42nd Street); The Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre (111 W 46th Street) and Studio 54 (254 West 54th Street). All single tickets are $47-$147.
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
Marvin’s Room will play Tuesday through Saturday evening at 8:00PM with Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:00PM.
BIOGRAPHIES:
JANEANE GAROFALO (Lee). Actress and comedian Janeane Garofalo recently wrapped production on Dan Harris’ Speech & Debate, opposite Sarah Steele, Liam James and Roger Bart. She also starred opposite Melanie Lynskey and Nelsan Ellis in Rob Meyer’s Little Boxes along with producers Jared Ian Goldman and Jordan Horowitz. In television, she will next be seen in TNT and Channel 4’s comedic drama “Foreign Bodies,” and also starred in “Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp” for Netflix and on Bravo’s “Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce,” opposite Paul Adelstein and Lisa Edelstein. Janeane’s other recent television work includes “The Jim Gaffigan Show,” “Inside Amy Schumer” and “Broad City.” Janeane has had many memorable and critically acclaimed roles in film and television since bursting on the scene in 1992. Her film work includes The Truth About Cats and Dogs, Wet Hot American Summer, Ratatouille and Reality Bites. Her other varied television work includes being a cast member on the Emmy Award-winning “Ben Stiller Show,” “24,” “The West Wing,” and the comedy classic “The Larry Sanders Show.”
LILI TAYLOR (Bessie). On the big screen, Lili Taylor most recently starred in the Fox feature “Maze Runner 2: The Scorch Trials” and will next be seen in Marti Noxon's directorial debut To the Bone playing Lily Collins mom, opposite Keanu Reeves. She will also be returning to star in season 3 of the critically acclaimed ABC series “American Crime.” Her past film credits include James Wan’s The Conjuring, Michael Mann’s Public Enemies, The Secret and Brooklyn’s Finest. She originally made her screen debut in Donald Petrie’s Mystic Pizza, co-starring Julia Roberts, then went on to star in Oliver Stone’s Born on the 4th of July, Emir Kusturica’s Arizona Dream, Nancy Savoca’s Household Saints, for which she won a Spirit award. She also starred in Alan Rudolph’s Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle, Robert Altman’s Short Cuts and Pret-À-Porter, Abel Ferrara’s The Addiction, Ransom opposite Mel Gibson, and The Haunting alongside Catherine Zeta-Jones. In television, Taylor has starred in JJ Abrams’ “Almost Human” on Fox as well as the Netflix original series “Hemlock Grove.” She has also appeared in “The Good Wife,” “State of Mind,” “The X-Files,” and the hit TV series “Six Feet Under,” which earned her two Emmy nominations and a SAG Award. She was most recently nominated for an Emmy for her leading work in ABC’s “American Crime.” On the stage, she has most recently appeared in the Steven Soderbergh-directed production of The Library at The Public Theater. She also appeared in The New Group’s productions of Mourning Becomes Electra and Aunt Dan & Lemon, Manhattan Theater Club’s The Dead Eye Boy and many others. Originally, Taylor made her Broadway stage debut in Chekov’s The Three Sisters.
CELIA WESTON (Ruth) has appeared in more than forty films, the first being especially auspicious in that it was directed by the great John Schlesinger. She has been blessed throughout her career to work with distinguished directors including Ang Lee, Anthony Minghella, Todd Haynes, Scott Hicks, Diane Keaton, David O. Russell, Woody Allen, Lee Grant, Jodie Foster and Iain Softley. For her performance in Tim Robbins' Dead Man Walking Ms. Weston received an Independent Spirit Award Nomination for Best Supporting Female. For the also multi-Oscar nominated film In The Bedroom directed by Todd Field, she was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. Ms. Weston has appeared in many independent features most notably Junebug, The Extra Man, Igby Goes Down and Joshua. Studio films include Knight and Day, Runaway Jury, Invasion, Observe and Report, K-Pax, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Far From Heaven, Snow Falling on Cedars, Flirting with Disaster and The Intern. On the Broadway stage Ms. Weston appeared in the critically acclaimed production of True West opposite Phillip Seymour Hoffman and John C. Reilly. For The Last Night of Ballyhoo (Tony Award, Best Play), Celia received both Tony Award and Drama Desk Award nominations, as well as The Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play and the Drama League Honor. She originated roles for Edward Albee in his Lady from Dubuque and in Michael Weller's Loose Ends. Weston also appeared in Broadway revivals of Tennessee Williams' Summer and Smoke and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Ms. Weston's upcoming films include Freak Show with Alex Lauther and Bette Midler and Rachel Lambert's In The Radiant City.
SCOTT McPHERSON (Playwright). Scott McPherson, born in Columbus, Ohio, was an actor and playwright who lived and worked in Chicago. His first full-length play, Till the Fat Lady Sings, was directed by Eric Simonson at Lifeline Theatre in Chicago in 1987 and received a Joseph Jefferson Citation for Best New Work. His one-act play, Scraped, premiered in a Chicago New Plays production at the Organic Theatre. Marvin’s Room was Scott’s second and final full-length play and has been performed throughout the United States and around the world, including Australia, Canada, Slovakia, Turkey, Israel, Hungary, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Japan, Finland, Sweden and Mexico. Marvin’s Room premiered at the Goodman Theatre Studio in February 1990 and went on to the Hartford Stage, Playwrights Horizons and Minetta Lane in New York, London’s West End and the Tiffany Theatre in Los Angeles. For his work on Marvin’s Room, Scott received the 1990 Joseph Jefferson Award for Best New Play, the 1991 Whiting Writer’s Award and, posthumously, the 1992 George Oppenheimer Award, 1993 Robby Award and the 1994 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award. Scott also wrote television shows for the Fox Television Network, WGN-TV and NBC. He wrote the film adaptation of Marvin’s Room, a Miramax release, produced by Scott Rudin and starring Robert DeNiro, Meryl Streep, Diane Keaton, Leonardo DiCaprio, Gwen Verdon and Hume Cronyn. Scott died of AIDS on November 7, 1992.
ANNE KAUFFMAN (Director). Described by the New York Times as “one of the leading lights of downtown theater,” Anne has directed at most major New York non-profit and regional theaters. Her recent credits include, Tom Holloway’s And No More Shall We Part starring Alfred Molina and Jane Kaczmarek at Williamstown Theatre Festival, Marjorie Prime by Jordan Harrison with Lois Smith at Playwrights Horizons (Lortel and Drama League Nominations for Outstanding Director), Buzzer by Tracey Scott Wilson with the Public Theater, The Nether by Jennifer Haley with MCC, You Got Older by Clare Barron with P73 Productions (Drama Desk nomiantion), Smokefall by Noah Haidle with Zachary Quinto at MCC, The Goodman Theater and South Coast Rep, 100 Days a new musical by The Bengsons at Z Space in San Francisco, Your Mother’s Copy of the Kama Sutra by Kirk Lynn with Playwrights Horizons, The Muscles In Our Toes by Stephen Belber with the Labyrinth Theater Company. Other credits include: Lisa D’Amour’s Pulitzer Prize finalist play Detroit starring David Schwimmer and Amy Ryan at Playwrights Horizons (NY Times, New York Magazine and Time Out NY Top 10 Productions of 2012), Maple and Vine also at Playwrights Horizons, Somewhere Fun by Jenny Schwartz at the Vineyard Theater, Amy Herzog’s Belleville for Yale Rep, NY Theatre Workshop and Steppenwolf (Lortel Nomination for Outstanding Director), Chloe Moss’s This Wide Night starring Edie Falco and Alison Pill for Naked Angels (Lortel Nomination for Outstanding Director), the musical We Have Always Lived In the Castle by Adam Bock and Todd Almond with Yale Rep, Stunning by David Adjmi and Greg Pierce’s Slowgirl for LCT3, You Better Sit Down: Tales from My Parents’ Divorce with the Civilians at Williamstown, ArtsEmerson and The Flea, God’s Ear by Jenny Schwartz with New Georges and the Vineyard. She is a Sundance Program Associate, a Usual Suspect at New York Theatre Workshop, an alumna of the Soho Rep Writers and Directors Lab, a current member of Soho Rep’s Artistic Council, Lincoln Center Directors Lab, The Drama League of New York, a founding member of The Civilians, an Associate Artist with Clubbed Thumb and co-creator of the CT Directing Fellowship, and member of New Georges Kitchen Cabinet. From 2000-2006, Anne was on the directing faculty at NYU. She received her MFA in directing from UCSD, and a BA in Slavic Languages and Literature and Theater from Stanford University. Anne is an Executive Board Member of the SDC. Anne’s awards include two Obie Awards, including one for Sustained Excellence, the Joan and Joseph Cullman Award for Exceptional Creativity from Lincoln Center, the Alan Schneider Director Award, the Barrymore Award for Best Director, and a Lilly Award.
Roundabout Theatre Company is committed to producing the highest quality theatre with the finest artists, sharing stories that endure, and providing accessibility to all audiences. A not-for-profit company, Roundabout fulfills its mission each season through the production of classic plays and musicals; development and production of new works by established and emerging writers; educational initiatives that enrich the lives of children and adults; and a subscription model and audience outreach programs that cultivate and engage all audiences.
Roundabout Theatre Company presents a variety of plays, musicals, and new works on its five stages, each of which is specifically designed to enhance the needs of Roundabout’s mission. Off-Broadway, the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre, which houses the Laura Pels Theatre and Black Box Theatre, with its simple sophisticated design, is perfectly suited to showcasing new plays. The grandeur of its Broadway home on 42nd Street, American Airlines Theatre, sets the ideal stage for the classics. Roundabout’s Studio 54 provides an exciting and intimate Broadway venue for its musical and special event productions. The Stephen Sondheim Theatre offers a state of the art LEED certified Broadway theatre in which to stage major large-scale musical revivals. Together these distinctive homes serve to enhance Roundabout’s work on each of its stages.
American Airlines is the official airline of Roundabout Theatre Company. Roundabout productions are supported, in part, with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
Roundabout’s season in 2017 includes Arthur Miller’s The Price, directed by Terry Kinney; If I Forget by Steven Levenson, directed by Daniel Sullivan; Marvin’s Room by Scott McPherson, directed by Anne Kauffman; Napoli, Brooklyn by Meghan Kennedy, directed by Gordon Edelstein; and the national tour of Sam Mendes & Rob Marshall’s Tony Award-winning production of Cabaret. The spring 2017 Roundabout Underground production is On the Exhale, a new play by Martín Zimmerman, directed by Leigh Silverman.
Roundabout’s new off-Broadway season dedicated to new work at the Harold & Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre in 2017-2018 will include The Last Match, by Anna Ziegler, directed by Gaye Taylor Upchurch; Amy and the Orphans, by Lindsey Ferrentino, directed by Scott Ellis; Skintight, by Joshua Harmon, directed by Daniel Aukin.
Roundabout Underground’s 2017-2018 season will include Too Heavy for your Pocket, by Jiréh Breon Holder.
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