The Kennedy Center website says that Ivey will play Nettie Cleary in the production of Frank D. Gilroy's play, which will run Jan. 7-29, 2006, at the Eisenhower Theater. Leonard Foglia will direct the D.C. engagement, which is being produced by Jeffrey Finn Productions. No other casting for the three-person play has been announced. The Subject Was Roses, according to press notes, concerns Timmy Cleary, who after serving in World War II, "returns home to find his parents are strangers — to him and each other. When Timmy insists his father take credit for the roses he bought his mother, long-hidden resentments rise to the surface, as this attempted act of kindness instead becomes the epicenter of domestic warfare. When the deception is uncovered, the tenuous ties still holding them together begin to unravel and each person's doubts — about marriage, family values, and Timmy's achievements overseas — threaten to sever any hope for reunion."

Judith Ivey is a two-time Tony Award winner for her roles in Steaming and Hurlyburly. She also received a nomination for her performance in Park Your Car in Harvard Yard, and her other Broadway credits include the revival of Follies as well as Voices in the Dark, Blithe Spirit, Precious Sons, Piaf and Bedroom Farce.

The Subject Was Roses opened on Broadway in May 1964, playing 832 performances before closing May 21, 1966. Directed by Ulu Grosbard, the original cast included Jack Albertson as John Cleary, Irene Daily as Nettie Cleary and Martin Sheen as Timmy Cleary.

Tickets for the Kennedy Center un, priced $25-$78, will go on sale to the general public Oct. 11. Visit www.kennedy-center.org for more information.