Des McAnuff, one of the most respected and successful theatre directors in southern California (and Broadway), has crossed over the line into the film world for the first time. McAnuff, artistic director at the LaJolla Playhouse from 1983 to 1994 and a two-time Tony winner (Tommy, Big River), directed Cousin Bette, a Fox Searchlight feature that opens June 12. Starring Jessica Lange, Elisabeth Shue and Bob Hoskins, the film is based on Honore de Balzac's novel and deals with a crime of passion in 19th century France.
McAnuff is still associated with the La Jolla Playhouse as Director in Residence, a position which allows him the freedom to take on outside theatre and film projects. As an associate at Dodger Endemol Theatricals in New York, he most recently helped doctor Broadway's High Society.
-- By Willard Manus
Los Angeles Correspondent
