MTC artistic director Lynne Meadow staged the production that officially opened on Broadway April 17 after previews that began March 21 at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre.
The production received three Tony Award nominations: Best Play (Richard Greenberg), Best Featured Actress (Judith Light) and Best Scenic Design of a Play (Santo Loquasto); four Drama Desk nominations: Outstanding Play (Richard Greenberg), Outstanding Director of a Play (Lynne Meadow), Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play (Judith Light) and Outstanding Scenic Design of a Play (Santo Loquasto); and three Drama League nominations: Distinguished Production of a Play, Distinguished Performance (Jessica Hecht) and Distinguished Performance (Judith Light).
Light received the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her role in The Assembled Parties. She is the first actor to win consecutive Tony Awards in almost 20 years.
In addition to Light (Other Desert Cities, Lombardi) and Hecht (Harvey, A View from the Bridge), the cast features Tony Award nominee Jeremy Shamos (Clybourne Park), Jonathan Walker (The Divine Sister), Obie Award winner Mark Blum (Gus and Al), Lauren Blumenfeld (We Are Proud to Present…), Alex Dreier (Billy Elliot) and Jake Silbermann ("As the World Turns").
According to MTC, "The Assembled Parties welcomes us to the world of the Bascovs, an Upper West Side Jewish family in 1980. In a sprawling Central Park West apartment, former movie star Julie Bascov (Tony Award nominee Jessica Hecht) and her sister-in-law Faye (Tony and Emmy Award winner Judith Light) bring their families together for their traditional holiday dinner. But tonight, things are not usual. A house guest (Tony nominee Jeremy Shamos) has joined the festivities for the first time and he unwittingly — or perhaps by design — insinuates himself into the family drama. Twenty years later, as 2001 approaches, the Bascovs' seemingly picture-perfect life may be about to crumble. A stunning new play infused with humor, [it's] an incisive portrait of a family grasping for stability at the dawn of a new millennium." Read the Playbill Magazine feature about playwright Greenberg, represented by Breakfast at Tiffany's, Far From Heaven and The Assembled Parties this season.
The creative team includes Santo Loquasto (scenic design), Jane Greenwood (costume design), Peter Kaczorowski (lighting design) and Obadiah Eaves (original music and sound design).
Greenberg, a Tony Award winner for his play Take Me Out, is author of The American Plan, The Violet Hour, Three Days of Rain and Eastern Standard, among other plays, plus the recent Broadway adaptation of Breakfast at Tiffany's and the Off-Broadway musical Far From Heaven.
For more information, visit ManhattanTheatre Club.com.
