Graff Takes The Long Christmas Ride Home in New Vogel Work at Vineyard, Oct. 14

By Ernio Hernandez
October 14, 2003

Tony Award winner Randy Graff stars as the New York premiere of Paula Vogel's latest work, The Long Christmas Ride Home, begins at Off Broadway's Vineyard Theatre, Oct. 14.

The Vineyard season opener, set to open Nov. 4, reteams Mark Brokaw and Vogel, the director-playwright team of the 1998 Pulitzer Prize-winning play How I Learned To Drive, which debuted at the Vineyard. John Carrafa (Urinetown) handles choreography.

Vogel's latest drama centers on a family whose car spins out of control on an icy road following a Christmas dinner gone awry. The work features Bunraku-inspired puppets designed by Basil Twist.

The Long Christmas Ride Home made its world premiere at Rhode Island's Trinity Repertory Theatre earlier this year. The production was directed by Oskar Eustis and starred Contact's Sean Martin Hingston.

Graff heads up a cast that includes Enid Graham (Fortune's Fool, Honour), Mark Blum (The Graduate), Will McCormack (Mizlansky/Zilansky), Catherine Kellner (The Iceman Cometh) and Sean Palmer (Fosse). The actors will be joined by a company of puppeteers including Matt Acheson, Oliver Dalzel, Erin Eager, Mark Petrosino, Sarah Provost and Lake Simons.

The design team for The Long Christmas Ride Home features Neil Patel (scenic), Mark McCullough (lighting), Jess Goldstein (costume) and David Van Tieghem (sound) — who also provides original music.

Vogel's other works include The Baltimore Waltz, Desdemona and The Mineola Twins.

For ticket information call the Vineyard box office (located at 108 E. 15 Street) at (212) 353-0303 or visit www.vineyardtheatre.org.