StreamingMeryl Streep and Kevin Kline Star in Dear Elizabeth June 17 The Spotlight on Plays virtual reading series concludes with this work by Sarah Ruhl.
By
Dan Meyer
June 17, 2021
Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline
Broadway’s Best Shows’ Spotlight on Plays series concludes June 17 with a virtual reading of Sarah Ruhl’s Dear Elizabeth, starring Oscar winners Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline. The presentation begins at 8 PM ET with stage directions voiced by Polly Noonan.
Kate Whoriskey (Ruined) directs Ruhl’s play based on the compiled letters between poets Robert Lowell and Elizabeth Bishop. Dear Elizabeth maps the relationship of these two poets from first meeting to an abbreviated affair—and the turmoil of their lives in between.
The reading is produced by Good Productions/Patty Baker, Rebecca Gold, Jayne Baron Sherman, Iris Smith, Louise Gund, Willette Klausner, Judith Manocherian, Alix Ritchie, Jenna Segal, and The Shubert Organization. Associate producers are Rose Caiola, Barbara Freitag, and Gabrielle Palitz.
Spotlight on Plays is created by Jeffrey Richards with Jacob Soroken Porter and Jim Glaub. All proceeds from the readings benefit The Actors Fund.
This isn't the first time three-time Tony winner Kline and Tony nominee Streep have worked together—they starred in Sophie's Choice (which earned Streep her second Oscar) and Ricki and The Flash on screen. On stage, they starred in the Shakespeare in the Park productions of The Seagull, Mother Courage and Her Children, and more.
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Photos: From Meryl Streep to James Earl Jones to Anne Hathaway: Look Through the History of Shakespeare in the Park
Photos: From Meryl Streep to James Earl Jones to Anne Hathaway: Look Through the History of Shakespeare in the Park
77 PHOTOS
Delacorte Theater during construction.
Courtesy of The Public Theater
The line for Shakespeare in the Park
Joe Papp
George C. Scott in The Merchant of Venice
Richard Jordan and Kathleen Widdoes in The Tempest : 1962
Frank Silvera in King Lear: 1962
James Earl Jones in The Merchant of Venice: 1962
Colleen Dewhurst and Michael Higgins in Antony and Cleopatra: 1963
Julienne Marie and James Earl Jones in Othello: 1964
Charlotte Rae and Martin Sheen in Romeo and Juliet: 1968
Sam Waterston in Henry IV: Part II: 1968
Jose Perez, Jerry Stiller, Raul Julia, and Clifton Davis in Two Gentlemen of Verona: 1971
The Great Performances broadcast features interviews with Tony winners Patti LuPone, Katrina Lenk, Marianne Elliott, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and the late Sondheim.
Produced by New York Public Library's Theatre on Film and Tape, the stream will be the first time the interview has been seen outside of the library walls.
Known for their inventive Off-Broadway revivals of Into the Woods and Merrily We Roll Along, the theatre celebrates the late composer and lyricist with this streamed event.
Plus, The Motherhood Concert will stream featuring Adriane Lenox, Pearl Sun, and more, and American Theatre Critics Association announces two award winners.
The producing team, including The Magicians actors, Scrap Paper Pictures’ Rachel Brosnahan, and NY Forever, are donating all proceeds from the virtual run to The Cultural Solidarity Fund.
Celebrating the New York Public Library's Billy Rose Theatre Division, viewers can expect archival clips of In the Heights, The Mountaintop, Sunset Boulevard, and more.