The 4 PM reading of the screenplay, which was adapted by David Rambo, will benefit the Actors' Fund of America. The starry company will also include Ian Abercrombie as Carl, Thora Birch as Anina Brandel, Dan Castellaneta as Ugarte, Bruce Davison as Emil, Andre De Shields as Sam, Henry Gibson as Berger, Suzanna Guzman as Yvonne, Edward Herrmann as Louis Renault, Ken Howard as Ferrari, Tom McGowan as Heinze, John Rubinstein as Victor, Hal Sparks as Jan Brandel and Michael York as Strasser.
"Casablanca" follows acclaimed readings of "All About Eve" and "Sunset Boulevard." Peter Hunt directs the reading of the new stage take on the screenplay by Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch.
The Morocco-set story of "Casablanca" follows the chance meeting of an American exile night club owner and his former love at the titular gateway city during World War II. The film — starring Bogart and Bergman — won 1944 Academy Awards for Best Director (Michael Curtiz), Best Picture (Hal B. Wallis) and Best Writing (Epstein, Epstein and Koch).
Anne Heche made her Broadway debut in the Tony-winning play Proof. She starred opposite Alec Baldwin in the 2004 revival of Twentieth Century, earning a Tony nomination for her performance. She received an Emmy nomination for her work in the Lifetime movie "Gracie's Choice," and her other screen credits include "Six Days Seven Nights," "Wag the Dog" and "Donnie Brasco."
Christian Slater made his Broadway debut in the 1980 revival of The Music Man. His other Main Stem credits include The Glass Menagerie, Copperfield, Macbeth, Merlin and Side Man. On the London stage he has been seen in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Sweet Bird of Youth. Among Slater's many film credits are "Mindhunters," "The Contender," "White Lies," "Very Bad Things," "Bed of Roses," "Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles," "True Romance," "Mobsters," "Pump Up the Volume," "Heathers," "Gleaming the Cube," "Twisted" and "The Legend of Billie Jean." The Pantages Theater is located at 6233 Hollywood Boulevard. Tickets, priced $28-$2,500, are available by visiting www.actorsfund.org or by calling (323) 933-9244 for VIP tickets and (213) 365-3500 for non-VIP tickets.
The Actors' Fund of America is the only national non-profit organization that provides for the social welfare of all entertainment professionals. For more information, visit www.actorsfund.org.
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The all-star reading of "Casablanca" was originally scheduled for May 1; due to changing production schedules of some of the reading's stars, it was rescheduled for Oct. 2.
