EXCLUSIVE: Assisted Living, New Play By Wicked's Winnie Holzman and Husband Paul Dooley, Will Debut in April

By Andrew Gans
21 Feb 2013

Winnie Holzman and Paul Dooley
Winnie Holzman and Paul Dooley

Assisted Living, a new play penned by Tony-nominated Wicked librettist Winnie Holzman and her husband, actor Paul Dooley, will make its world premiere April 5 at Los Angeles' Odyssey Theatre.

Holzman and Dooley will also co-star in the four-character, three-scene work, which will continue through May 12. Larry Biederman directs.

Assisted Living, according to press notes, "explores the surprising connections between four very different characters – Frank, a beloved soap opera star facing an uncertain future; Emily, his former makeup artist and longtime girlfriend; Edgar, a curmudgeon who feels abandoned in his assisted living facility; and Heather, Edgar’s unfulfilled, unmarried daughter who is Frank’s biggest fan."

Linda Toliver and Gary Guidinger produce.

Paul Dooley's extensive film credits include "Breaking Away," "Sixteen Candles," "Hairspray" and "Popeye." Dooley has received two Emmy nominations for his work as the out-of-the-closet father on HBO’s "Dream On" and as the “take no prisoners” judge on "The Practice." He has had recurring roles on many TV series, including "ER," "Grace Under Fire," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and "My So-Called Life." Dooley’s film work also includes "Insomnia" with Al Pacino, and Christopher Guest’s "Waiting for Guffman" and "A Mighty Wind."

Winnie Holzman is best known as the co-writer (with composer Stephen Schwartz) of Wicked, for which she was nominated for a Tony. She also created the television drama "My So Called Life," starring Claire Danes, which earned Holzman an Emmy nomination. Recently, she teamed with her daughter, Savannah Dooley, to create ABC Family’s "Huge." She got her start writing "thirtysomething," and also executive-produced (again with Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz) the award-winning drama series "Once and Again." As an actress, Holzman played the chocolate-obsessed divorced woman in "Jerry Maguire" and Larry David’s wife’s therapist on "Curb Your Enthusiasm."

Show times are Friday and Saturday at 8 PM and Sunday at 2 PM.

The Odyssey Theatre is located at 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd. in Los Angeles. For tickets, priced $25-$30, visit www.odysseytheatre.com or call (310) 477-2055.