"Six Feet Under" Star Ambrose to Be Part of National Theatre Buried Child

By John Nathan
August 18, 2004

There will be a strong American contingent in the cast of the National Theatre revival of Sam Shepherd's Buried Child, which opens at the Lyttelton Theatre Sept. 29 following ten days of previews.

Screen actor Lauren Ambrose will be joined by M Emmet Walsh and Elizabeth Franz. Ambrose, who will play the role of Shelley, will be best known to followers of the acclaimed HBO television series "Six Feet Under," in which she plays the angst-ridden teenager Claire.

Walsh is one of Hollywood's best-known character actors with over 100 movies to his name, including "Blood Simple" and "Blade Runner." On stage he was recently seen in a Washington production of Arthur Miller's All My Sons at the Arena Stage.

Franz, who plays Halie, is a Tony-winning Broadway veteran who has appeared in revivals of Brighton Beach Memoirs, Death of a Salesman and Long Day's Journey Into Night.

Brendan Coyle, who won an Olivier Award for The Weir, will take on the role of Tilden, with Sam Troughton playing the part of Vince, the son who returns to a house of half-crazed relatives.

Matthew Warchus (Life x 3, Our House) directs the first major London production of the darkly, comic drama in over 20 years.