Elizabeth Marvel, Michael Constantine and David Chandler star in the premiere of playwright-director Emily Mann's (Execution of Justice , Having Our Say ) new play, Meshugah , which begins previews Oct. 20 at Princeton, NJ's McCarter Theatre, where Mann is artistic director.
Mann adapted the drama from Yiddish novelist Isaac Bashevis Singer's story of the same name, in which Aaron Greidinger, a struggling writer, falls in love with the mistress of a friend. The play is scheduled to run Oct. 20-Nov. 8, with an official opening of Oct. 23. Mann's last work, Having Our Say , transferred from the McCarter to a Broadway run.
Marvel has been seen consistently on New York stages over the past two years. Recent productions include Silence, Cunning, Exile at the Public, An American Daughter on Broadway, Therese Raquin at CSC Rep, and Misalliance at the Roundabout Theatre Company. Chandler appeared on Broadway in Death of a Salesman with Dustin Hoffman and in The American Clock . Off-Broadway, he's been seen in The Grey Zone and Slavs!. Constantine is a theatre veteran, having appeared in the original productions of Inherit the Wind and The Miracle Worker .
For information on the season, call (609) 683-8000. Single tickets go on sale Aug. 24.
* In other news, the hit McCarter Theatre production of Electra is considering Broadway's Barrymore Theatre as its possible New York home. Producer Eric Krebs told Playbill On-Line he and the other producers were going to look at the theatre for the first time Oct. 16. He cautioned, however, that the show's move was not definite and nothing had been signed.
Electra gave its last performances at Princeton's McCarter Theatre Oct. 4. Soon after the tragedy opened to rave reviews, producers began to discuss a commercial transfer to New York. Krebs said he hoped matters would be settled by next week.
The show stars Zoe Wanamaker in the title role and Claire Bloom as Clytemnestra. The company also included Pat Carroll (as the Chorus Leader), Stephen Spinella and Michael Cumpsty. The play marks director David Leveaux's first American outing since directing Liam Neeson and Natasha Richardson in the Roundabout Theatre Company's production of Anna Christie.
-- By Robert Simonson
