AUGUST 17, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Chris Boneau/ Jim Byk/ Aaron Meier/ Heath Schwartz
PREVIEWS BEGIN THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER
21
FOR A THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12 OPENING
NIGHT
Manhattan Theatre Club (Lynne Meadow, artistic director; Barry Grove, executive producer) is pleased to announce full casting for the American premiere of Simon Mendes da Costa’s LOSING LOUIE at the Biltmore Theatre. Previews for LOSING LOUIE begin Thursday, September 21 for a Thursday, October 12 opening.
Four-time Tony Awardâ winner Jerry Zaks will direct the production which will star (in alphabetical order): Matthew Arkin (Reggie), Scott Cohen (Louie), Rebecca Creskoff (Bobbie ), Mark Linn-Baker (Tony), Patricia Kalember (Elizabeth), Michele Pawk (Sheila),Jama Williamson (Bella).
The creative team for LOSING LOUIE includes:
John Lee Beatty (scenic design), Paul Gallo (lighting design),
William Ivey Long (costume design), and Dan Moses
Schreier (sound design).
Visit www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com for more information
Subscriptions to MTC can be obtained by calling (212) 399-3030, Monday - Friday, noon - 8 PM with a major credit card. Subscriptions are also available online at www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com.
Single tickets ($86.25 - $26.25) for LOSING LOUIE will be available starting Monday, August 21 by calling TeleCharge.com at 212-239-6200 or at www.telecharge.com. Starting Tuesday, September 5, tickets will be available at the Biltmore Theatre box office (261 West 47th Street).
BIOGRAPHIES:
SIMON
MENDES DA COSTA (Playwright)
Losing Louie is
Mendes da Costa’s second staged play. His first, Table for One, which he
produced himself, was performed at the Hen & Chickens Theatre, Islington in
North London in November 2001 (Time Out London’s Critic’s Choice). Losing
Louie started its life at Hampstead Theatre which is situated in Swiss
Cottage in North London and it subsequently moved to the West End after a sell
out run, breaking Hampstead Theatre’s all time box office record. It played in
the West End for four months, which was followed by a sell out tour. Simon came
to writing via a circuitous route. He originally trained as a Civil Engineer but
decided to leave that behind and become an estate agent, by his own admission
not one of his best decisions. He then retrained as a computer programmer before
deciding to change careers once again and become an actor. He received a
two-year acting diploma at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School graduating in
1991. After a number of years working as an actor he ended up, almost by chance,
attending a small writing group in Crouch End, a small suburb in North London,
and for no other reason than he knew somebody who went there and rather liked
them! The only way to stay part of the group was to write, so that’s what he
did. Simon was nominated for 2006’s Most Promising Playwright at the Evening
Standard Awards in London. Simon has also written two plays for children both of
which were performed at the studio in Hampstead Theatre, and is currently
working again with Hampstead on a new commission for the main house, details of
which he can’t disclose because he maintains he doesn’t know them
himself.
JERRY
ZAKS (Director)
has received
four Tony Awards, four Drama Desk Awards, two Outer Critics Circle Awards, an
Obie Award and an NAACP Image Award nomination. He served as resident director
at Lincoln Center Theater from 1986-1990 and is a founding member of the
Ensemble Studio Theatre. Mr. Zaks has directed more than 30 New York productions
including, Broadway: The House of Blue Leaves (Tony Award, Drama Desk
Award), The Front Page, Anything Goes (Tony nomination, Drama Desk
nomination), Lend Me a Tenor (Tony Award, Drama Desk Award), Six
Degrees of Separation (Tony Award, Drama Desk Award), Guys and Dolls
(Tony Award, Drama Desk Award), Laughter on the 23rd Floor, Smokey Joe’s Cafe
(Tony nomination, Olivier nomination), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way
to the Forum (Tony nomination), The Man Who Came to Dinner, 45 Seconds
From Broadway and Little Shop of Horrors; Off-Broadway: Sister
Mary Ignatius, Beyond Therapy, Baby With the Bathwater, The Foreigner (Obie
Award), The Marriage of Bette and Boo (Obie Award, Drama Desk
Award), Wenceslas Square, Square One, Assassins (Drama Desk
nomination), A Bad Friend as well as the Encores! production of Bye
Bye Birdie. Mr. Zaks also directed the award-winning film Marvin’s
Room, starring Meryl Streep and Diane Keaton, and episodes of the
long-running hit comedies "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "Frasier." Mr. Zaks is a
graduate of Dartmouth with an MFA from Smith. He received the George Abbott
Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre in 1994 and an honorary Doctorate
of Fine Arts from Dartmouth in 1999. Since 1990 he has been proudly affiliated
with Jujamcyn Theaters.
MATTHEW
ARKIN
(Reggie) is returning to Manhattan Theatre Club after starring in the
Off-Broadway production of Ron Hutchinson’s Moonlight & Magnolias,
directed by Lynne Meadow. He is
currently starring in the Primary Stage production of A.R. Gurney’s Indian Blood. On
Broadway, he starred in Neil Simon's Laughter on the 23rd Floor and
The Sunshine Boys (with Jack Klugman and Tony Randall). Off-Broadway:
Dinner with Friends (Drama Desk nomination), You Should Be So Lucky,
OY!, The King of Carpets and The Roadblock. Regional theatre:
Rounding Third at Chicago's Northlight Theatre, Talley's Folly,
Guys and Dolls, Sheer Boredom, A Thousand Clowns, Lost
in Yonkers, Little Footsteps, Two Rooms, True West, Self
Defense, Joan of Lorraine, and Sight Unseen. Film: Death to
Smoochy; Liar, Liar; North; An Unmarried Woman; and Chu Chu and the
Philly Flash; Second Best, Counting Sheep and The Curse. TV:
Legal Aid Attorney Paul Bernard on A&E's “100 Centre Street,” “The Education
of Max Bickford,” “Ed,” “Law & Order,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,”
“The Street,” “Simple Justice,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “Kojak,” “The Defection
of Simas Kudirka” and “All My Children.”
REBECCA CRESKOFF (Bobbie) Broadway debut. Off-Broadway/NY Theatre: Picasso at the Lapin Agile (Promenade), Sleeping Hippo (Theatre Row Theatre), Hardball (SPF). Williamstown Theatre Festival: Arms and The Man, Our Town, Downed American,The Maids; Berkshire Theatre Festival: Entering Laughing, Miss Julie. Regionally: Midsummer Night's Dream at Baltimore Center Stage, Three Sisters among others. Film: Finding North, Friends and Family. Televsion: "Quintuplets" (series regular), "Greetings From Tuscon" (series regular), " The West Wing," "The Practice" (recurring), "Girlfriends" (recurring), "The New Adventures of Old Christine," "Law & Order," "Law & Order: SVU," "Kristen," among others. University of Pennsylvania B.A., New York University MFA. For my sister.
SCOTT
COHEN
(Louie) will be making his Broadway debut in Losing Louie. Cohen
returns to Manhattan Theatre Club after starring in the Off-Broadway production
of Warren Leight’s Glimmer, Glimmer and Shine, directed by Evan
Yionoulis. He recently starred in the ABC television movie “Fatal Contact: Bird
Flu in America.” Other television credits include “Law & Order: Trial By
Jury,” “The 10th Kingdom” (NBC), “NYPD Blue,” “Gilmore Girls,” “Gia” (HBO),
“Gotti” (HBO), “Perfect Murder-Perfect Town” (CBS), “Law & Order” (NY/LA
Trilogy), and Camryn Manheim's “Kiss My Act.” Mr. Cohen's other stage work
includes The Big Knife and La Ronde (WTF) both directed by Joanne
Woodward, The American Clock (WTF), The Crucible (Roundabout),
Jitta's Atonement (BTF), Natural History by Anastasia Traina and
Wibbly Wobbly Wiggly Dance by Terrence McNally (Naked Angels).
Films include The Mambo Kings, Jacob's Ladder, Private
Parts, A Brother's Kiss and Kissing Jessica Stein.
PATRICIA
KALEMBER
(Elizabeth) previously appeared in the Manhattan Theatre Club production
of Arthur Kopit’s Y2K. Broadway: The Nerd. Off-Broadway: Sea of
Tranquility (Atlantic Theatre Company), From Above (Playwrights
Horizons), The Foreigner, Loose Knit (Second Stage). Regional:
Betrayal (Berkshire Theater Festival); The Miser, Cyrano de
Bergerac and The Front Page (Baltimore's Center Stage); Current
Events (New York Stage & Film, director David Petrarca). Her many films
include A Time For Dancing, Home Before Dark, Jump,
Labor Pains, Killing Cinderella, Big Girls Don't Cry…They Get
Even, and Jacob's Ladder, among others. Television: appearances on
"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," "The Equalizer," "Early Edition,"
"Michael Hayes." TV films: "Little Girl Lost," "Final Run," "When Husbands
Cheat," "Living a Lie." Series regular: "Sisters," "Thirtysomething," "Kay
O'Brian."
MARK
LINN-BAKER (Tony)
most recently starred in the WB television series “Twins.” Broadway: A Year With
Frog and Toad, Hysterium in Forum (Drama League Honor), Laughter on
the 23rd Floor, Face Value, Doonesbury. Encores!: Heinzie in The Pajama
Game. NYSF: All's Well That Ends Well, Othello, Von Richthofen, The
Laundry Hour, Alice in Concert (with Meryl Streep). Off-Broadway:
Chesapeake (Drama Desk/Outer Critics Circle nominations), A Flea in
Her Ear (Drama League Honor), The Miss Firecracker Contest, Maybe I'm
Doing It Wrong, EST, LaMaMa, MTC, West Bank Theater, Phoenix Theatre.
Regional: Yale Rep, ART Cambridge (founding member), Arena, Center Stage. Film:
Woody Allen's Manhattan, My Favorite Year, Noises Off. Television: seven
years as Larry Appleton on "Perfect Strangers"; "Laughter on the 23rd Floor";
guest appearances on "Ally McBeal," "Law & Order," "Soul Man," "Spin City,"
"Sesame Street," "Family Matters," "Full House," "Cooper," "Miami Vice,"
"Moonlighting." Co-founder/co-director of NY Stage and Film Company and is
married to set designer and Broadway producer Adrianne
Lobel.
MICHELE
PAWK
(Sheila). Broadway: Mamma Mia!, Hollywood Arms (Tony Award:
Best Featured Actress in a Play), Chicago, Seussical, Cabaret (Drama
Desk, Outer Critics Circle nominations), Triumph of Love, Crazy for You
(Drama Desk nomination), Mail. Off-Broadway: Jon Robin Baitz’ The
Paris Letter (Drama Desk nomination), Reefer Madness, After the Fair,
Hello Again, Merrily We Roll Along, john & jen, A Little Night Music (New York City and Los
Angeles Opera).
Regional: Bounce (Helen Hayes nomination), Hollywood Arms, Dirt, A
Class Act (Japan), Oedipus-Private Eye, The Gig. Film: Cradle Will
Rock, Jeffrey, The Girl in the Watermelon, Flight of Black Angel. Television
includes: "Law & Order," "Law & Order: SVU," "Quantum Leap," "Dear
John," "Golden Girls." Recordings: Bounce, Seussical, Cabaret, Crazy
for You, After the Fair, Hello Again, Merrily We Roll Along, Lost in Boston III,
Broadway Bound, The Stephen Schwartz Album, The Stephen Sondheim Album and
the Sherman Brothers Album and numerous recordings of books on tape for
Simon & Schuster.
JAMA
WILLIAMSON (Bella)
will be making her Broadway debut in Losing Louie. She appeared as
Roberta in the musicalization of the classic adult film Debbie Does
Dallas. Other Off-Broadway: Spanish Girl (Second Stage), Eat the
Runt (American Place). Other NYC theatre credits include Seascape with
Sharks and Dancer (HERE) and Love Machine (TSI). Film & TV: “The
Chapelle Show,” “Law & Order,” Mergers and Acquisitions, Eye of
the Storm, The Dry Season. B.A. in communications and theatre from the
University of Notre Dame and training from Circle in the
Square.
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