As reported by the NY Times and confirmed by a Public Theatre spokesperson, Frances Conroy will step into the company's production of Arthur Miller's The Ride Down Mt. Morgan , filling the role left vacant by Blythe Danner's recent departure. Furthermore, the play, which was due to begin previews Oct. 27 and open Nov. 12, will now start performances Nov. 3. No opening date has been set.
Danner left due to a "personal family matter." The Public has not elaborated on the matter.
Along with Patrick Stewart, who also stars in the drama, the cast features Meg Gibson, Oni Faida Lampley, Kali Rocha and John Vennema. The design team includes John Arnone (sets), Elizabeth Hope Clancy (costumes), Brian MacDevitt (lighting) and Dan Moses Schreier (original music).
Conroy has been a steady presence on and Off-Broadway for a decade. Recent gigs include The Little Foxes at Lincoln Center and The Rehearsal at the Roundabout Theatre Company.
The Ride Down Mt. Morgan , directed by former CSC artistic director, David Esbjornson, looks at a man who's devoted his life to the sybaritic indulgences of the Reagan era, only to find his values changed when confronted with a near-fatal car accident. Stewart plays the man; Conroy his wife of 25 years. Stewart has starred on Broadway in the George C. Wolfe-directed The Tempest and his own one-man adaptation of A Christmas Carol.
Miller's other plays include The Crucible, Mr. Peters' Connections, Death of a Salesman and The American Clock. Danner's most recent Broadway credit was a revival of Terrence Rattigan's Deep Blue Sea.
