David Strathairn, Haviland Morris, Maryann Plunkett, Susan May Pratt and John Rothman will appear Off Broadway under the direction of the author, as they did in Massachusetts in July. Tom Sadoski will not repeat his Williamstown chores: He's in the company of Broadway's Reckless.
Nelson's previous plays at Playwrights Horizons include Franny's Way, James Joyce's The Dead, Goodnight Children Everywhere, The Vienna Notes and Jungle Coup.
Rodney's Wife is set in 1962. "On location in Rome, a fading American movie star (Strathairn) and his wife of 10 years (Morris) find themselves entangled in an unraveling web of secrets that threatens to undermine their extended family's tenuous bond," according to PH.
Williamstown shows often find their way to New York, but the Nelson work had a definite Gotham future at PH long before its first Berkshire preview. As previously announced, performances will be Nov. 12-Dec. 19 in the Mainstage of the PH complex on West 42nd Street.
Designers are Susan Hilferty (scenic and costume), David Weiner (lighting) and Scott Lehrer (sound). The world premiere of Rodney's Wife ran July 7-18 at Williamstown.
Susan May Pratt played Rodney's 25-year-old daughter. Maryann Plunkett played Eva, his recently widowed sister. John Rothman was his new manager, Henry. According to Williamstown Fest notes, they share a villa in the city where "household relations are strained when Fay's reaction to the news of Lee's unexpected engagement is less than enthusiastic."
Strathairn's New York credits include The Dance of Death, Three Sisters, Stranger and the recent Hannah and Martin. Plunkett won a Tony Award in 1987 for Me and My Girl. In the early '90s, she appeared in a series of productions with Tony Randall's National Actors Theatre, including the title role in Saint Joan. For the past decade, however, she has been absent from New York stages. Haviland Morris acted in such Broadway fare as Arcadia and Ring Round the Moon.
For more information about the Playwrights Horizons season, visit www.playwrightshorizons.org.
