Radnor, Westfeldt, Eisenberg, Rothman and More to Star in Finks at the Powerhouse

By Andrew Gans
July 15, 2008

Casting has been announced for the upcoming production of Joe Gilford's Finks, part of the current Vassar and New York Stage and Film Powerhouse Theater season in Poughkeepsie, NY.

Josh Radnor ("How I Met Your Mother") and Jennifer Westfeldt (Tony nominee for Wonderful Town) will head the cast of Gilford's play, which is based on Gilford's parents' romance and tragic struggle with the '50s blacklists. Radnor will play Mickey Dobbs, the character based upon Jack Gilford with Westfeldt as Natalie Meltzer, based upon Gilford's mother Madeline. Performance dates at the Powerhouse are July 23-Aug. 3.

Directed by Charlie Stratton, the cast will also feature Ned Eisenberg as Fred, John Rothman as Rep. F. Walter and Kelly AuCoin as Bobby with Steve Rosen, Mitch Greenberg, John Alix and Nathan Mateus Duszny.

Finks, according to press notes, is described as a "sweeping tale of love and friendship, set against the trials and tragedy of the blacklist of the 1950s." In a statement playwright Gilford said, "I deeply admire my parents' courage. . . I also admired their acting talents. And the thing that I most admired was that despite everything, after years and years of struggle as artists and activists, they truly loved each other and stayed together for 40 years until my father's death."

Gilford said that his intent in writing the piece was to "show how arbitrary the HUAC [House Un-American Activities Committee] was in its actions; the absurdity of questioning anyone's political beliefs or their right to free expression and how we have to be vigilant as this continues to happen time and time again."

The creative team will also include Neil Patel (scenic design), Alix Hester (costume design), Jason Lyons (lighting design), Darron L. West (sound design) and Robert Marra (movement consultant).

For ticket information visit http://powerhouse.vassar.edu or call (845) 437-7235.