The play by Tony Award winner Greenberg (Take Me Out) shows an Upper West Side family in 1980 and 2001. Manhattan Theatre Club artistic director Lynne Meadow directs the production, which will begin previews March 19, 2013, and open April 17 at MTC's Broadway home, the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, on West 47th Street.
The Assembled Parties, according to MTC, "welcomes us to the world of the Bascovs, an Upper West Side Jewish family in 1980. In a sprawling Central Park West apartment, former movie star Julie Bascov (Tony Award nominee Jessica Hecht) and her sister-in-law Faye (Tony and Emmy Award winner Judith Light) bring their families together for their traditional holiday dinner. But tonight, things are not usual. A house guest (Tony nominee Jeremy Shamos) has joined the festivities for the first time and he unwittingly — or perhaps by design — insinuates himself into the family drama. Twenty years later, as 2001 approaches, the Bascovs' seemingly picture-perfect life may be about to crumble. A stunning new play infused with humor, The Assembled Parties is an incisive portrait of a family grasping for stability at the dawn of a new millennium."
Shamos, playing house guest Jeff, is currently in Broadway's Glengarry Glen Ross. He received a Tony nomination for his performance in Clybourne Park. He previously appeared in MTC's productions of We Live Here and Reckless.
Blum will play the role of Mort, the husband of Faye (Judith Light, of Other Desert Cities and Lombardi). His recent credits include Off-Broadway's Lonely I'm Not and MTC's world premiere of Zoe Kazan's We Live Here, and Broadway's The Best Man.
Robards returns to MTC after appearing in the revival of Absurd Person Singular. He received a 2002 Tony Award nomination for the revival of Arthur Miller's The Man Who Had All The Luck. In The Assembled Parties, he will play Ben, the husband of Julie (Jessica Hecht, of The Last Night of Ballyhoo, A View From the Bridge). This production marks MTC's 10th collaboration with Greenberg, which includes productions of The Violet Hour, Three Days of Rain, Eastern Standard and The American Plan and others.
The creative team for The Assembled Parties includes Santo Loquasto (scenic design), Jane Greenwood (costume design), Peter Kaczorowski (lighting design) and Obadiah Eaves (original music & sound design).
Tickets for The Assembled Parties will be available starting Nov. 1 by calling Telecharge at (212) 239-6200, online by visiting Telecharge.com, or by visiting the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre Box Office. Ticket prices will be $67-$120.
For more information on MTC, visit ManhattanTheatreClub.com.
