Laurents' Come Back, Come Back, Wherever You Are Makes World Premiere in NJ Oct. 6

By Andrew Gans
06 Oct 2009

Alison Fraser
Alison Fraser

Tony Award winner Shirley Knight and Tony nominee Alison Fraser head the cast of the world premiere of Arthur Laurents' Come Back, Come Back, Wherever You Are, which begins previews at the George Street Playhouse Oct. 6.

Laurents (Gypsy, West Side Story) also directs the production, which will officially open Oct. 9 and continue through Nov. 1.

The cast also features Jim Bracchitta, Leslie Lyles and John Carter.

In a previous statement George Street artistic director David Saint said, "At the heart of any play by Arthur Laurents there are two key ingredients. The first is an honest, richly-drawn cast of characters who wrestle with and stand up for their beliefs, confronting one another when their opinions differ. The other common theme is the truth by which Mr. Laurents has lived his 92 years-and-counting: that, in all of life, the only thing that really matters is love. His newest play, Come Back, Come Back, Wherever You Are, is no exception. It is an intimate, stunning new drama about a woman coping with a devastating loss, her overbearing mother-in-law and the advances of a sexually persistent new suitor. But at its heart, it is a play about love."

The production team includes scenic designer James Youmans, lighting designer Howell Binkley, costume designer Esther Arroyo and sound designer Christopher J. Bailey. Musical direction for the musical sequences is by Christopher Howatt.

Alison Fraser, who played Tessie Tura in the recent revival of Gypsy, received Tony nominations for her performances in Romance/Romance and The Secret Garden, and her other Broadway credits include The Mystery of Edwin Drood and the 1996 revival of Tartuffe. She created the role of Trina in William Finn's In Trousers and March of the Falsettos and reprised that role in the anniversary concert for Playwrights Horizons. Her other Off-Broadway credits include roles in Dedication or the Stuff of Dreams, Up Against It, The Green Heart, Beehive and Swingtime Canteen. Fraser also starred in the national tour of High School Musical as well as in productions of Lizzie Borden, Honk!, Lend Me a Tenor, Gunmetal Blues and Lips Together, Teeth Apart. Her screen credits include "Law & Order: SVU," "Third Watch," "The Thing About My Folks," "Jack and His Friends" and "In the Blood."

Shirley Knight won a Tony Award as Best Featured Actress in a Play for Kennedy's Children and was nominated for a Best Actress Tony for The Young Man From Atlanta. She was Oscar-nominated for "The Dark at the Top of the Stairs" and "Sweet Bird of Youth." She also played Bree's grieving mother-in-law in TV's "Desperate Housewives."

For tickets call (732) 246-7717 or visit www.GSPonline.org. George Street Playhouse is located at 9 Livingston Avenue in New Brunswick, NJ.