The revival will play the Sunshine State Feb. 8-March 6, followed by a run in Philly.
Malcolm Black directs the production. The play is billed as "a brilliant social comedy of marital maneuvers in the tradition of Oscar Wilde…a glittering portrait of upper-class London society in the 1920s, where the main preoccupation is with illicit love and strategic games played in the battle of the sexes."
In it, "the charming Constance Middleton, upon learning that her eminent surgeon husband is having an affair with her best friend, makes a surprising decision that overturns all our expectations about marriage and fidelity. In the end, just who remains 'constant' is wonderfully ambiguous and the ultimate theatrical flourish."
Alicia Roper (Broadway's Dance of Death) plays Constance. Nancy Dussault, star of Broadway and television (The Boyfriend, Do Re Mi, Bajour, The Sound of Music, Side by Side by Sondheim, Into the Woods and television's long running "Too Close for Comfort"), makes her Coconut Grove Playhouse debut as the cynical matriarch Mrs. Culver.
"I'm delighted to have this remarkable ensemble of actors from Broadway, Philadelphia and South Florida come together in one remarkable play," said Coconut Grove producing artistic director Arnold Mittelman. "I welcome director Malcolm Black's return to the Coconut Grove Playhouse and salute the arrival of the talented Nancy Dussault. Very recently, I had the privilege of seeing this wonderful play performed in London. Beyond embracing the play's sophisticated humor and glamorous sets, I was also struck by Maugham's versatility as a playwright to effectively create a theatrical piece that not only comments on the social values of the time, but continues to remain relevant to current, contemporary values." The staging plays the historic Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia March 15-May 1.
The cast also includes Ian D. Clark, Ursula Freundlich, Dan Olmstead, Dan Schiff, Pilar Uribe and Greg Wood.
Malcolm Black served as artistic director to three major Canadian theatres in which capacity he received special commendation for his work with new plays. National directing credits include productions at: St. Louis Municipal Opera; Old Globe in San Diego; Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles; Juilliard School; Pasadena Playhouse; and, most notably, the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia, where he has directed 21 productions.
Designers are Steve Shapiro (sound), Ellis Tillman (costume), Paul Wonsek (scenic and lighting).
English novelist and playwright Maugham (1874-1965) also wrote A Man of Honour, Lady Frederick, Jack Straw, Mrs. Dot, The Explorer, Caroline, Caesar's Wife, Home and Beauty, East of Suez, Our Betters, The Sacred Flame, The Breadwinner and For Services Rendered. His prose story, "Miss Thompson," was adapted for the stage as Rain (by John Colton and Clemence Randolph). His novel, "Theatre," was recently made into a film called "Being Julia," starring Annette Bening (she is Oscar nominated this year for the title role).
For more information, visit www.cgplayhouse,com or www.wstonline.org.
