Sam Shepard's New Play God of Hell Debuts Off-Broadway Oct. 29
By Robert Simonson
29 Oct 2004
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Sam Shepard
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| photo by Aubrey Reuben | Frank Wood, Randy Quaid, J. Smith-Cameron and Tim Roth will enact God of Hell, a new political drama by Sam Shepard which will have its world premiere at the former Westbeth Theatre Center in Greenwich Village on Oct. 29.
Frank Wood recently entered the cast. He replaces Jamey Sheridan, who was forced to withdraw from the production "because of his shooting schedule for the television series 'Law & Order: Criminal Intent.'"
The change came just three days before the first preview.
New School University is producing the work, which was written over the summer, and tracks the lives of a put-upon Midwestern couple. Quaid and Smith-Cameron play the cattle-raising husband and wife, and Roth is a government official.
Shepard called the play "a takeoff on Republican fascism," and added, "I kind of wanted to get it done in New York before the election. I'm not sure it matters, but I figured I'd get it out there."
Shepard's motivation mirrors that of other name playwrights who have rushed new political plays into production this year in order to have an impact on the upcoming presidential election. A.R. Gurney's Mrs. Farnsworth was fast-tracked into production at the Flea Theatre this past summer, with two stars in the lead roles—Sigourney Weaver and John Lithgow. It has been revived twice since then. Also, Tony Kushner has put together several star-laden readings of his latest work-in-progress, Only We Who Guard the Secret Shall Be Unhappy, which features Laura Bush as a character.
Shepard told the New York Times he had wanted British director Matthew Warchus to stage the piece, but he was unavailable. Instead, Lou Jacob will pilot the work. Shepard mentioned the actors will be doing the project for very little money and New School students will perform administrative duties and act as understudies.
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