Dewitt, Jones, Feiffer, Weller and More to Star in MCC Productions

By Ernio Hernandez
22 Jul 2009

Rosemarie Dewitt, Sarah Jones, Halley Feiffer and Frederick Weller
Rosemarie Dewitt, Sarah Jones, Halley Feiffer and Frederick Weller
Photo by ©Showtime (Dewitt); Bob Handelman (Jones)

Rosemarie Dewitt, Sarah Jones, Halley Feiffer and Frederick Weller are among the stars who will be featured in MCC Theater's upcoming productions of Family Week or Still Life.

The downtown troupe — again in residence at the Lucille Lortel Theatre — has announced casting for two of its upcoming productions. Additional casting for the 2009-10 season will be announced shortly.

Feiffer (Some Americans Abroad, "Margot at the Wedding") and Weller (Take Me Out, “In Plain Sight") as well as Ian Kahn, Kelly McAndrew and Matthew Rauch star in the world premiere of Alexander Dinelaris' Still Life. Will Frears directs the work, which is scheduled to begin Sept. 16 and open Oct. 5 for a run through Nov. 1.

Jonathan Demme ("Silence of the Lambs") will then direct Beth Henley's Family Week featuring Dewitt (Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, "Rachel Getting Married") and Jones (Bridge & Tunnel, In Transit). The show will begin previews April 7, 2010, and open April 26 for a run through May 23.

The shows are described, in the announcement, as follows:

"In Still Life, photographer Carrie Ann inexplicably shuts down at the pinnacle of her career. Lost, and afraid to even pick up a camera, her sudden descent is interrupted by a whirlwind romance with Jeff, a trend analyst who becomes determined to help her move on, even while facing his own dark future."

"In Family Week, Claire checks into a recovery center in the desert, searching for a way to cope after the death of her son one year ago. When her mother, daughter and sister arrive to participate in 'family week,' long-dormant traumas collide with recent tragedies in surprisingly comical, shocking and deeply moving ways. United in this family struggle, the women rage and reach out in an effort to reconcile their love with the way things are.

Halley Feiffer and Frederick Weller
photo by Aubrey Reuben
MCC also previously announced the American premiere of Alexi Kaye Campbell's The Pride as part of the upcoming season. Joe Mantello (Take Me Out, Wicked) will direct the production, which plays between the above shows Jan. 27-March 14, 2010. A synopsis reads: "Oliver, Philip, and Sylvia are caught in a kind of erotic time warp. Their complex love triangle, replete with conflicting loyalties and passions, jumps from 1958 to the present and back in a maelstrom of fantasy, repression and rebellion in this innovative new drama."

Tickets to MCC Theatre's shows at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, 121 Christopher Street, are currently available by subscription ($99 for the three-play season) at www.mcctheater.org.