Richard Dreyfuss and Jill Clayburgh will star in a new Doug Hughes-directed version of the Arthur Miller classic All My Sons. Dreyfuss will play Joe Keller, a father with a guilty secret about his two sons, one killed in WWII, the other one questioning the nature of his siblings' death. Clayburgh will play his wife, Kate, who stands by him despite mounting evidence of his guilt.
Westport said that Clayburgh's casting has not been officially confirmed, though she is considering the part.
Dreyfuss has booked a lot of theatre of late. In New York, he's done a brief stint in Off-Broadway's The Exonerated and is set to put in a one night-only appearance in Trumbo at the Westside. All My Sons, which runs Aug. 6-23, would mark his most sustained engagement to date.
Artistic director Joanne Woodward said in a statement, "I saw Richard in a show called The Exonerated in New York. His biography in the playbill said that he was ‘looking for a good play’ and when Doug Hughes mentioned Richard for the role, I thought, ‘it looks like he’s found one.’"
Clayburgh, a less frequent presence on stage, though she did appear with Dreyfuss in The Exonerated. She is still well remembered for a string of films in the '70s, including "An Unmarried Woman," "Silver Streak" and "Starting Over." *
As for the rest of the season, James Naughton will direct The Good German by local playwright David Wiltse. The piece is another World War II drama for the Playhouse season, which seems to be addressing current events in Washington and Iraq. The play "tells the story of a couple who, against the objections of the husband, harbors a Jewish publisher under the nose of their Nazi friend. Dangerous circumstances force all concerned to examine attitudes of morality, hate, and human decency." It runs June 25-July 12.
The season opens with one of Noel Coward's classic comedies, Hay Fever, running June 4-21. Darko Tresnjak, for whom a summer doesn't pass without a few directing assignments in New England, will stage the story of the Blisses, a family of artists and artistic temperaments who invite people to their country house only to taunt and terrorize them. The play is based on Coward's own experiences visiting the home of American actress Laurette Taylor and her playwright husband J. Hartley Manners. The couple would often insist their guests play party games and then criticize them for their poor performances.
Completing the season are The Old Settler by John Henry Redwood, directed by Walter Dallas (July 16-Aug. 2); and The Streets of New York, the musical which recently played at Irish Rep Off-Broadway, directed by Charlotte Moore (Aug. 26-Sept. 13).
The Westport Country Playhouse is located at 25 Powers Court, just off Post Road East (Route 1). Season subscriptions are on sale now. Remaining tickets will go on sale May 19. For subscriptions, call (203) 226-0153. For more information, contact the box office at (203) 227-4177 or visit westportcountryplayhouse.org.
