Harting has suffered a broken leg with compound fractures and will no longer be able to continue in the role of Olivia in the play directed by Arena artistic director Molly Smith. The play runs until June 14 at Arena Stage's temporary home in the Crystal City neighborhood of Arlington. For the remaining performances, Jennifer Mendenhall (a Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company member) will join the cast in the role of Olivia.
The matinee and evening performances of Legacy of Light were cancelled on Sunday, May 31 due to Harting's medical emergency, but all upcoming performances will take place as scheduled with Mendenhall in the role of Olivia.
Patrons with questions or concerns are encouraged to call the Arena Stage Sales Office at (202) 488-3300.
"We all send Carla our best wishes for a quick recovery, and we're grateful that the accident wasn't worse," Smith said in a statement. "She will be missed! Jennifer is a wonderful actress, who is intellectually sharp and quite funny — so many of us here in DC have enjoyed seeing her perform in area theatres. We're glad that she is able to join us at Arena, and I'm excited to experience her interpretation of the character of Olivia."
Mendenhall, a multiple Helen Hayes Award nominee, returns to Arena Stage, where she appeared in The Revenger's Comedies and Pygmalion. Her recent performances include Woman and Scarecrow (Solas Nua); The Accident (Theatre J); A Beautiful View, Crestfall (Studio Theatre Second Stage); Measure for Pleasure, Dead Man's Cell Phone, Grace, Lenny & Lou, Homebody/Kabul (with Theatre J), Cooking with Elvis, The Day Room (Woolly Mammoth); Ambition Facing West, The Monument, You Are Here, Slaughter City (Theatre Alliance); Teddy Roosevelt and the Treasure of Ursa Major (Kennedy Center); Major Barbara (Shakespeare Theatre); dark play, or stories for boys... (Humana Festival); Cradle of Man (Florida Stage); Electra, Rapture (MetroStage); and many others at Round House, Olney, Potomac Theatre Project, Folger Theatre. Legacy of Light is billed as "a funny and moving romp about the passion for truth as lived by two different women in their separate eras: Dr. Olivia Hasting Brown in modern-day New Jersey and Émilie du Châtelet in 18th century France."
For ticket information, call (202) 488-3300 or visit www.arenastage.org.
