Pill, Hurt, Feiffer, and Abbott Join HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 1/10/11 at 11:08pm

"Additional casting has been announced for the Broadway revival of John Guare's House of Blue Leaves, which is currently on sale to American Express cardholders prior to sale to the general public.

Tickets for the production will go on sale to the general public Jan. 15. Tickets, priced $57-$132, with premium seats available for $137-$227, will be available by visiting Telecharge.com.

Much-in-demand director David Cromer, best known for his Off-Broadway stagings of Adding Machine and Our Town, will direct the production, which will begin previews April 4 at the Walter Kerr Theatre. Opening night for the 16-week engagement is scheduled for April 25.

In addition to the previously announced Ben Stiller as Artie Shaughnessy, Edie Falco as Bananas Shaughnessy and Jennifer Jason Leigh as Bunny Flingus, the cast will also include Alison Pill as Corrinna Stroller, Christopher Abbott as Ronnie Shaughnessy, Mary Beth Hurt as Head Nun and Halley Feiffer as Little Nun..."

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/146531

Updated On: 1/10/11 at 11:08 PM

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 1/11/11 at 12:39am

Oooooooooh, Mary Beth Hurt!!!!!

[Jon]

Posted: 1/11/11 at 11:47am

Ooh - weird connections. Ben Stiller's father appeared on Broadway witn Mary Beth Hurt's ex-husband in Hurly Burly.

[Holbee]

Posted: 1/11/11 at 1:10pm

Alison Pill as Corrinna????

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 1/11/11 at 2:46pm

I find Pill to be incredibly well cast as Corrina, though I worry some of the vocal demands of the role will hurt her voice after what happened to her during 'reasons to be pretty.'

She'd make an even better Bananas in twenty years.

[whyohwhyoh]

Posted: 1/11/11 at 7:21pm

Pill is the most OVER-rated young actress on the New York stage. Irritating, obvious, technically weak and certainly not versatile. i can't IMAGINE anyone more wrong for this role. I am in shock. What could they be thinking? She's another actress that plays little girl all the time and sunk The Miracle Worker completely. It is a mystery.

[ljay889]

Posted: 1/11/11 at 7:30pm

^ You seem friendly.

[AC126748]

Posted: 1/11/11 at 8:06pm

Pill is a terrific actress who has proved her salt in nearly a dozen plays. She actually plays characters rather than affecting the wispy/sulky little girl persona that most of her contemporaries do. Your description sounds more like Zoe Kazan than Alison Pill. And I'd really like to hear why you think she's wrong for Corinna. She's quite possible the first actress to play the role who's actually age-appropriate.

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 1/11/11 at 9:47pm

If you think Alison Pill is overrated, then you must not have seen her work on In Treatment last season or her Tony nominated performance in THE LIEUTENANT OF INISHMORE or her worn opposite Edie Falco in THIS WIDE NIGHT.

[whyohwhyoh]

Posted: 1/11/11 at 10:28pm

Oh I saw all of Pill's performances you named plus Blackbird, Mauritius and Reasons to be Pretty. I stand by what I said. She's like Jennifer Jason Leigh. They play the neuroses all the time. Acting through tension all the time. Different stroke but I can't bear her.

[AC126748]

Posted: 1/11/11 at 10:28pm

Or anything she's ever done.

[Holbee]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 9:36am

Corrinna is a gorgeous 60's era Hollywood actress. Probably played best when cast with a statuesque actress (though Julie Hagerty was merely tall...)

I have no problems with Pill as an actress. I love her as a matter of fact.

This just seems a weird piece of casting. Amongst a whole bunch of weird castings. Especially where the women are concerned. I am all for actresses branching out, but even on the Emmys Edie Falco said she wasn't funny. Now, Falco always plays the truth, so that makes some of her roles very very funny. But Bananas is sometimes close to sitcom shtick. That takes skills she admits she doesn't have. I would be much more excited if she and Jennifer had traded roles. Yes, I've seen them both do those roles before, but this show is at times brilliantly written, I'm sure they could find new things there...but we've all seen the horror of what happens when the wrong actress is cast as Bunny (see: Baranski) and I love this play so I'm really nervous about the revival's casting.

[TxTwoStep]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 10:24am

didn't parents Jerry Stiller and/or Anne Meara appear in productions or filmed play versions of this piece? i love the playwriting, and Comer's directing. This is a HOT ticket commercially and artistically.

[AC126748]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 10:29am

Anne Meara originated the role of Bunny Flingus in the originally Off-Broadway production.

[TxTwoStep]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 10:40am

i know John FRASIER Mahoney played the male lead maybe originally but this begs the question....did Ben ever play Ronnie? cuz i could SWEAR i'm seeing in my head footage of Jerry Stiller in the male lead, playing piano badly and singing worse. Maybe he and Meara did some of the scenes on TV sometime?

[Gothampc]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 10:57am

Originally The House of Blue Leaves was produced off-Broadway. The first production was just Act 1, then someone convinced John Guare to expand it and make a two act play. That's why Act 1 has only Artie, Bananas and Bunny and Act 2 has all the other characters.

In the off-Broadway production, Katherine Helmond was Bananas, Anne Meara was Bunny and I think Frank Converse was Artie.

Lincoln Center mounted a hugely successful revival in 1986 with John Mahoney, Swoosie Kurtz and Stockard Channing (Christine Baranksi later replaced Channing). In this production, Ben Stiller played the son.

PBS broadcast the Lincoln Center production after Baranski replaced Channing.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 10:57am

Ben Stiller played Ronnie in the Lincoln Center production on Broadway in 1986.

Updated On: 1/12/11 at 10:57 AM

[Gothampc]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 11:05am

Also in the 1986 production were Danny Aiello as the Hollywood producer. Patricia Clarkson replaced Julie Hagerty as Corinna Stroller.

[Jon]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 12:08pm

Frank Converse was Billy (the movie director)in the original. Harold Gould was Artie. William Atherton was Ronnie.

Christopher Walken is Billy in the Lioncoln Center video.

[TxTwoStep]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 12:42pm

i wonder if any or all are avail at the LC Video Archive. i SWEAR i have seen Stiller Senior in scenes from this script on tape.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 2:17pm

Christopher Walken did the run at the Mitzi Newhouse, before the play moved upstairs to the Vivian Beaumont, where he was replaced by Danny Aiello. By the time the show moved to the Plymouth and was taped for PBS/American Playhouse, I think Richard Portnow was playing the role.

[TxTwoStep]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 2:27pm

i once was poolside at the Chateu Marmont while Meara floated and ran lines with Stiller Senior. Matt McC had the bungalow next to me in the small courtyard and was doing yoga in his speedo under the pool gazebo while his dog (complete with bandana'd neck) drank from the shallow ends steps. I kept waiting for Ben Stiller to drop by and see his folks. Yes, i stayed there with the magazine i read OVER and OVER as long as i could. Pretty starry stuff, for me...that same trip i got to chat some with Hartnett in the lobby and i thought he might actually join me down the road later for a stand-up set starring Joe Rogan, we both admitted great fondness for him, Fear Factor, and NewsRadio RIP.