NewsPHOTO CALL: Paul Rudd, Bobby Cannavale, Sam Rockwell and Carrie Stars Celebrate Neil LaBute's Reasons to Be Happy on Opening NightThe world premiere of Neil LaBute's new play Reasons to Be Happy, which follows the characters of his Tony Award-nominated drama Reasons to Be Pretty, opened Off-Broadway June 11. Jenna Fischer, Josh Hamilton, Leslie Bibb and Fred Weller star in the production for MCC Theater.
By
Matthew Blank
June 12, 2013
LaBute also directs the play, which began performances May 16 at the Lucille Lortel Theatre. It will play an extended run through June 29.
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Paul Rudd, Bobby Cannavale, Sam Rockwell and Carrie Stars Celebrate Neil LaBute's Reasons to Be Happy on Opening Night
Reasons to Be Happy is a companion piece to LaBute's award-winning Reasons to Be Pretty, which was first produced at MCC Theater in 2008 before moving to Broadway, where it was nominated for three 2009 Tony Awards, including Best Play.
According to MCC, "Three years after a contentious break-up, Steph and Greg are wondering if they can make a fresh go of it. Trouble is, she's married to someone else and he's just embarked on a relationship with Steph’s best friend, Carly, a single mom whose jealous ex-husband, Kent, has trouble articulating his feelings. Navigating the rocky landscape of conflicting agendas and exploding emotions isn’t going to be easy for any of them. Reasons to Be Happy is a funny, surprising, and poignant new play about the choices and sacrifices we are willing to make in the pursuit of that often elusive ideal: happiness."
Fischer plays Steph, with Hamilton (The Coast of Utopia, Proof) as Greg, Bibb ("Iron Man," "Talladega Nights") as Carly and Weller (Still Life and In a Dark Dark House) as Kent.
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