Carey begins performances on April 29; an official opening performance is scheduled for May 13 at 8 PM. McLane, who had hoped to extricate herself from previous commitments, was unable to take part in the extension due to scheduling conflicts, the company announced. Director Eric Schaeffer said in a statement, "I've wanted to work with Helen for so long. When Judy informed me that she couldn't get out of her commitments, I saw an opportunity to finally work with one of Washington's greatest talents. She’s a genius at comedy, the classiest lady you’ll ever meet and a great actress. We avoid type casting at Signature but there’s no denying that this is a great match of actress and character."

Carey received a Tony Award nomination, Theatre World Award and Callaway Award for her performance in London Assurance at the Roundabout Theatre, where other credits include You Never Can Tell; Give Me Your Answer, Do! and Hotel Suite. Long associated with the Guthrie Theatre, her appearances there include Uncle Vanya, As You Like It, Twelfth Night and The Cherry Orchard. At The Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, she received a Helen Hayes Award for Volpone, was nominated for Macbeth and Henry VI, and appeared in Antony and Cleopatra and Julius Caesar. She comes to Signature directly from Dublin's renowned Alley Theatre where she recently appeared in All My Sons.

Follies, which features Florence Lacey as Sally, runs to June 1. Signature Theatre is located just five miles from Washington, DC, at 3806 South Four Mile Run Drive, Arlington, Virginia, immediately off I-395 at the Shirlington exit. For information, call (703) 218-6500 or (800) 955-5566, or visit www.signature-theatre.org.