Marsha Mason Will Star in Beckett's Happy Days in 2009

By Kenneth Jones
11 Sep 2008

Marsha Mason
Marsha Mason
Photo by Aubrey Reuben

Marsha Mason will star in a summer 2009 production of Samuel Beckett's Happy Days for California Shakespeare Theater.

Mason will play Winnie, the famous role of a woman buried up to her waist in sand, who speaks comically (and tragically) about the toil of her domestic life. It will run Aug. 12-Sept. 6, 2009, under the direction of Cal Shakes artistic director Jonathan Moscone.

This will mark Mason's Cal Shakes debut. She was nominated for four Academy Awards for her roles in "Cinderella Liberty," "The Goodbye Girl," "Chapter Two" and "Only When I Laugh." She was also nominated for an Emmy Award for her appearances on the television comedy "Frasier." On Broadway, she starred in Steel Magnolias, The Night of the Iguana, The Good Doctor and Happy Birthday, Wanda June.

The 35th anniversary Cal Shakes season will also include Romeo and Juliet, directed by Moscone, May 27-June 21, 2009; Noel Coward's Private Lives, directed by Mark Rucker, July 8-Aug. 2, 2009; and A Midsummer Night's Dream, directed by Aaron Posner, Sept. 16-Oct. 11, 2009.

Further casting and creative teams for all four productions will be announced in spring 2009.

Moscone, celebrating his tenth anniversary as artistic director of Cal Shakes in 2009, has been highly acclaimed for his productions of An Ideal Husband, Man and Superman, As You Like It, Hamlet: Blood in the Brain, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, The Importance of Being Earnest, Julius Caesar, The Seagull, Twelfth Night, and other works. His numerous national credits include productions for Huntington Theatre Company, Berkeley Repertory Theater, Intiman Theatre, San Jose Repertory, Dallas Theatre, Goodspeed and Portland Stage Company.

Next season's presentations of Beckett's Happy Days and Coward's Private Lives will mark their first time in the company's repertory.

All performances are in the Bruns Amphitheater, 100 Gateway Boulevard, in Orinda, CA. For subscription information, call (510) 548-9666 or visit www.CalShakes.org.