Lane is slated to perform with the show through Sept. 4 before heading into rehearsals for the upcoming Broadway revival of The Odd Couple. Amendolia will assume the role of Lou Nuncle opposite Marian Seldes for the recently extended Primary Stages run at 59E59 Theaters through Oct. 2.
Michael Morris (Slag Heap) directs the New York premiere of the work which debuted at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in August 2004. The play began July 26 opened Aug. 18 for a run originally slated through Sept. 18.
Amendolia recently appeared in a Sundance Institute Theatre Laboratory workshop of McNally's Some Men, a new play with music. The actor is known for his New York stage turn in Broadway's Stepping Out and Off-Broadway's Cloud 9.
The actor will join Seldes and the current cast which includes Alison Fraser (Tartuffe, The Secret Garden), Michael Countryman (The Stendahl Syndrome at Primary Stages), Miriam Shor (Book of Days, Hedwig and the Angry Inch) and original WTF cast members R.E. Rodgers (Terrorism, "Oz") and Darren Pettie (Hobson's Choice, Unwrap Your Candy).
Terrence McNally's Dedication, as the scribe told Playbill.com, is "about a couple (Lane and Fraser) who live in upstate New York. On the weekends, they run, manage and produce a small children's theatre which does things like Puss in Boots and Alice and Wonderland. They are given an opportunity to take over an old abandoned, decaying theatre which was once on the vaudeville circuit. And these people become candidates." He added that the play is about "what price they're willing to pay to have their own theatre." Lane won Tony Awards for his roles in The Producers and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. The star previously teamed with McNally on The Libson Traviata, Lips Together, Teeth Apart and Love! Valour! Compassion! Other credits include The Frogs, Present Laughter, Merlin, The Wind in the Willows, Some Americans Abroad, On Borrowed Time, Guys and Dolls, Laughter on the 23rd Floor and The Man Who Came to Dinner.
Seldes — who plays the acid-tongued wealthy socialite Annabelle Willard — won a Tony Award for her turn in Albee's A Delicate Balance. Last seen on the New York stage in Beckett/Albee, her Broadway credits include Equus, Ivanov, 45 Seconds From Broadway, Father's Day, Deathtrap, Ring Round the Moon and Dinner at Eight — she was Tony-nominated for the last four.
The design team for Dedication or The Stuff of Dreams features Narelle Sissons (scenic), Laura Crow (costumes), Jeff Croiter (lighting) and Lindsay Jones (sound). Emily N. Wells will serve as production stage manager.
Tickets and subscriptions to Primary Stages' shows at the 59E59 Theaters, at 59 East 59th Street (between Park and Madison Ave.), can be purchased by calling (212) 279 4200 or at the box office. For more information, visit www.primarystages.com.
