Broadway Vets Mulgrew, Kimbrough, Seldes To Star in The Royal Family in Los Angeles

By Ernio Hernandez
20 Feb 2004

Kate Mulgrew and Marian Seldes set to star in The Royal Family.
Kate Mulgrew and Marian Seldes set to star in The Royal Family.
Photo by Aubrey Reuben

Kate Mulgrew, Charles Kimbrough and Marian Seldes are among Broadway veterans in the cast of the upcoming Ahmanson Theatre staging of George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber's The Royal Family in Los Angeles.

Tom Moore directs the production that begins March 27 and opens April 7 for a run through May 16 at the southern California venue.

The cast includes Kate Mulgrew (Tea at Five) as Julie Cavendish, Charles Kimbrough (Sunday in the Park with George, Company) as Herbert Dean, Marian Seldes (Dinner at Eight) as Fanny Cavendish, Richard Cox (Platinum) as Gilbert Marshall, Daniel Gerroll (Enchanted April, High Society) as Tony Cavendish, Ellia English (Ain't Misbehavin') as Della, Melinda Page Hamilton (Ring Round the Moon) as Gwen Cavendish, Eve Roberts (Third Best Sport) as Miss Peake, George S. Irving (Me and My Girl) as Oscar Wolfe, Bobby C. King as McDermott, Robert L. Devaney as Perry Stewart, Barbara Dirickson as Kitty Lemoyne Dean and Alan Mandell as Jo.

The Royal Family tells the story of the celebrated Cavendishes, the "First Family" of the theatre, whose lives both on stage and off were filled with drama. The comedy is based on the legendary theatrical family the Barrymores.

The design team includes Douglas W. Schmidt (set), Robert M. Blackman (costume), Duane Schuler (lighting) and Jon Gottlieb (sound).

Kaufman and Ferber also collaborated on Dinner at Eight and Stage Door. Ferber penned the best-selling novels "So Big," "Giant," "Saratoga Trunk" and "Show Boat" — all of which were adapted for the screen, the latter two into musicals for the stage. Kaufman also co-authored Once in a Lifetime, The Man Who Came to Dinner and You Can't Take It With You with Moss Hart.

For tickets to The Royal Family at the Ahmanson, 135 North Grand Ave. in Los Angeles, CA, call (213) 628-2772 or visit www.TaperAhmanson.com.