Casting is now complete for the production, which will also feature the previously announced Tony and Emmy Award winner Elaine Stritch, Alvin Epstein and John Turturro under the direction of Andrei Belgrader. Endgame will officially open April 30 and continue through May 18.
Casella joins the production in the role of Clov. Epstein, who originated the role of the manservant Clov in the American premiere of Endgame, returns to the Beckett work in the role of Nagg with Stritch as his wife Nell and Turturro portraying their son, Hamm.
"Mutually dependent in a world that seems to be coming to an end, Hamm (Turturro) is confined to a chair on wheels, unable to see, or stand up and Clov (Casella) — can't sit down. Joining the duo are Hamm's parents Nagg (Epstein) and Nell (Stritch) who live in trashcans, occasionally raising their lids to speak. In spite of the indignities and routine inanities of daily existence the impulse to go on remains powerful for each of the four characters," BAM press notes state.
Casella is known to Broadway audiences for his performances in The Lion King and The Music Man, as well as Off-Broadway's Souls of Naples opposite John Turturro. His screen work includes "The Sopranos," "Doogie Howser M.D.," "The Bronx Is Burning," "Leatherheads" and "Revolutionary Road."
Alvin Epstein previously served as artistic director of the Guthrie Theatre and as associate artistic director of Yale Rep. Epstein's stage credits include the American premiere of Waiting for Godot, as well as Howard Katz, Tuesdays With Morrie, Postmark Zero, A Kurt Weill Cabaret, The Passion of Josef D, The Doctor's Dilemma, Antigone, The Bacchae, Tartuffe, The Tempest, Beckett Trio, The Threepenny Opera, and his Obie-winning performance in Dynamite Tonight! John Turturro is well known for his screen work in "Oh, Brother, Where Art Thou?," "Barton Fink," "Quiz Show," "The Bronx is Burning," and counts among his theatrical credits the Broadway staging of Yasmina Reza's Life x 3, Off-Broadway's Souls of Naples and his Obie Award-winning performance in Danny and the Deep Blue Sea.
Elaine Stritch dazzled audiences in her Tony, Drama Desk and Emmy Award-winning autobiographical tour de force Elaine Stritch at Liberty. Her illustrious career also includes her creation of Joanne in Company, as well as roles in The Little Foxes, Bus Stop, A Delicate Balance, Sail Away and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
The BAM Harvey Theater is located at 651 Fulton Street in Brooklyn. Tickets, priced $25-$75, are available by calling (718) 636-4100 or by visiting www.BAM.org.
