Lonely, I'm Not, With Topher Grace as a Post-Meltdown Corporate Star, Opens in NYC

By Kenneth Jones
07 May 2012

Topher Grace
Topher Grace
Photo by Joan Marcus

Topher Grace, of TV's "That '70s Show," plays a fallen corporate millionaire coming out of a funk in Paul Weitz's Lonely, I'm Not, opening May 7 in its world-premiere engagement at Off-Broadway's Second Stage Theatre. Previews began April 17.

Trip Cullman (Playwrights Horizons' recent Assistance) directs the comedy (Weitz's fourth for Second Stage) that also stars Olivia Thirlby ("Being Flynn"), Mark Blum (Lost in Yonkers, We Live Here, After the Revolution), Lisa Emery (Relatively Speaking), Christopher Jackson (In the Heights) and Maureen Sebastian (Arabian Nights at Berkeley Rep and Arena Stage). This is a limited engagement to May 27.

According to Second Stage notes, "At an age when most people are discovering what they want to do with their lives, Porter [Topher Grace] has been married and divorced, earned seven figures as a corporate 'ninja,' and had a nervous breakdown. It's been four years since he's had a job or a date, and he's decided to give life another shot. Lonely, I'm Not is a comic journey that follows Porter as he meets an ambitious young businesswoman [Thirlby] who is overcoming her own obstacles to emotional success."

Read the Playbill magazine interview with Topher Grace.

Blum returns to Second Stage Theatre, where he appeared in the 2004 Uptown production The Triple Happiness and the 2000 mainstage production of The Waverly Gallery; Emery appeared in the Second Stage Uptown production of Sex Lives of Our Parents and Off-Broadway's Distracted (Lortel nomination) and Iron (Obie Award, Lortel nomination) at MTC; Jackson created the role of Benny in In the Heights; Sebastian returns to Second Stage Theatre where she appeared in the 2010 Uptown production of Year Zero; Grace starred in TV's "That '70s Show" and in the film "In Good Company"; Thirlby appears opposite Robert DeNiro and Paul Dano in Weitz's current feature film release "Being Flynn."

Olivia Thirlby
photo by Joan Marcus

The production team features scenic designer Mark Wendland; costume designer Emily Rebholz; lighting designer Matt Frey; sound designer Bart Fasbender; and projection designer Aaron Rhyne.

Weitz's plays include Trust, Show People and Privilege, all of which premiered at Second Stage Theatre. His play Mango Tea was produced Off-Broadway with Marisa Tomei and Rob Morrow by New York's Ensemble Studio Theatre, which also produced his Captive, All for One and the ensemble comedy Roulette, directed by Trip Cullman. He also wrote and directed the film comedy "American Dreamz," starring Hugh Grant, Dennis Quaid and Mandy Moore, as well as the critically acclaimed film "In Good Company,: starring Topher Grace and Scarlett Johansson. With his brother and frequent collaborator Chris Weitz, he co-directed and adapted the screenplay from Nick Hornby's novel for the award winning hit, "About a Boy." The screenplay received an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. The brothers collaborated on several screenplays, including "Antz." He made his feature directorial debut teaming with his brother on "American Pie," the phenomenally successful first installment of the "Pie" franchise (the latest chapter is now in movie theatres). Weitz's latest film, "Being Flynn," which he directed and wrote, stars Robert DeNiro, Paul Dano, and Olivia Thirlby, was released March 2.

Second Stage's mainstage Tony Kiser Theatre is at 305 West 43rd Street.

For tickets or more information, visit 2ST.com.