Bartlett Sher, the Tony-winning director of South Pacific, reunites with Light in the Piazza librettist Lucas for the new Off-Broadway drama, to open Dec. 9.
A sixth and final cast member will be announced in the coming weeks.
According to Playwrights Horizons, "In Prayer for My Enemy, a hell of a night for the Noones finds father Austin (Skipp Sudduth) watching his nature shows and trying to keep from falling off the wagon, mother Karen (Michele Pawk) keeping an eye on Austin, son Billy (Jonathan Groff) just back from Iraq, and pregnant daughter Marianne (Cassie Beck) upset about the state of her marriage to Tad, Billy's childhood friend who may still harbor a crush on him. As an enigmatic outsider, Dolores (Victoria Clark), relates a tale of taking responsibility for her ailing mother, an American family's long-held secrets are dragged to the fore in what may be its final reckoning."
It's billed as "a paean to our age, a keenly-layered drama about the preciousness of life and the grace to share common ground — even with those we love the least."
Lucas is the two-time Tony Award nominee, two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and two-time Obie Award winner who penned Small Tragedy (Playwrights Horizons), The Light in the Piazza, Prelude to a Kiss, Reckless, The Dying Gaul and more. His play The Singing Forest will have its premiere at The Public Theater in the spring. The limited engagement of Prayer for My Enemy will run through Dec. 21 at Playwrights Horizons’ Mainstage Theater, 416 W. 42nd Street.
Pawk won the Best Featured Actress Tony for her work in Hollywood Arms. Her credits include Broadway's Hairspray, Mamma Mia!, Crazy For You, Cabaret and Off-Broadway’s The Paris Letter.
Clark won the Best Actress Tony for The Light in the Piazza, and recently starred in The Marriage of Bette and Boo at Roundabout, Follies and Juno at City Center, How to Succeed... and Titanic.
Tony Award nominee Groff starred in Spring Awakening and the recent and Broadway-bound Hair for Shakespeare in the Park. He's currently filming Ang Lee's "Taking Woodstock."
Theatre World Award winner Beck appeared in The Drunken City. Sudduth is part of Lincoln Center's current South Pacific.
Playwrights Horizons' production of Prayer for My Enemy will feature costume design by Piazza's Tony-winning costume designer, Catherine Zuber, plus scenic design by John McDermott, lighting design by Stephen Strawbridge and sound design by Tony Award winner Scott Lehrer. Production stage manager will be Lisa Ann Chernoff.
The performance schedule will be Tuesdays through Fridays at 8 PM, Saturdays at 2:30 & 8 PM and Sundays at 2:30 & 7:30 PM. There are additional performances set for Wednesday matinee, Nov. 26 at 2:30 PM; Monday, Dec. 1 at 8 PM; Wednesday matinee, Dec. 3 at 2:30 PM; and Monday, Dec. 8 at 8 PM.
Tickets are $65 and will go on sale to the general public starting Oct. 17. Tickets may be purchased online via TicketCentral.com, by phone at (212) 279-4200 (Noon-8 PM daily), or in person at the Ticket Central Box Office, 416 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues).
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A ticketing initiative created last season, LIVEforFIVE, makes available $5 tickets for the first preview performance of each Playwrights Horizons production through a lottery via the company's website. The LIVEforFIVE lottery for Prayer for My Enemy will be for the first preview on Nov. 14 at 8 PM. Entries for the lottery will be accepted beginning Nov. 5 at 10 AM, with theatregoers filling out an entry form at www.playwrightshorizons.org.
