Sam Waterston Heads Cast of The Black Monk at Yale Rep, May 9-June 1

By Ernio Hernandez
09 May 2003

Sam Waterston
Sam Waterston

Sam Waterston, star of television's "Law & Order," returns to the stage as he begins performances for The Black Monk at Yale Repertory Theatre, May 9. The David Rabe-penned version of Anton Chekhov's novella will play through June 1 at the New Haven, Connecticut stage.

The Black Monk tells the story of Yegor Semyonitch Pesotsky (Waterston), his daughter Tanya and a brilliant, but haunted philosophy student Andrei Vasilich Kovrin — who grew up with their family and returns to live with them after completing his degree.

Daniel Fish directs a cast that includes Nancy Anderson, Jenny Bacon, Leo Leyden, Matthew Martin, Christopher McCann, Paul Mullins, Pamela Nyberg, Thomas Jay Ryan, Haynes Thigpen, Jeffrey Withers and Waterston.

The design team includes Christine Jones (set), Jane Greenwood (costume), Stephen Strawbridge (lighting) and Leah Gelpe (sound). Peter Pucci handles choreography.

Waterston's Broadway credits include Abe Lincoln in Illinois, A Walk in the Woods, Benefactors, Lunch Hour, Hamlet, A Doll’s House, Much Ado About Nothing, The Trial of the Catonsville Nine, Hay Fever, Indians, Halfway Up the Tree and Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mama’s Hung Up in the Closet and I'm Feeling So Sad. His film credits include "Crimes and Misdemeanors," "Hannah and Her Sisters," "The Great Gatsby" and "Serial Mom."

Playwright Rabe won the 1972 Tony Award for Best Play with Sticks and Bones. His other works include The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel, The Orphan, In the Boom Boom Room, Streamers, Goose and Tom Tom, Those the River Keeps, A Question of Mercy and The Dog Problem.

Tickets to The Black Monk at Yale Rep, 1120 Chapel Street at York Street, in New Haven, CT are available by calling (203) 432-1234. For more information visit www.yalerep.org.