'Mrs. Mannerly', a New Comedy by Jeffrey Hatcher, Begins January 29 at Alley Theatre

Inspired by hilarious memories of a childhood etiquette class, playwright Jeffrey Hatcher conjures up the world of a seven-year-old studying manners from the title character. Mrs. Mannerly is a demanding teacher, and no student in her 36 years of etiquette classes has achieved a perfect score. But when he discovers her secret past, Young Jeffrey is determined to be the first. This unique comic tale reveals truths about the face we present and real selves that lie inside. Recommended for general audiences.

Directed by John Rando, Mrs. Mannerly begins previews Friday, January 29, opens Wednesday, February 3 and runs through Sunday, February 28 on the Neuhaus Stage.

Mrs. Mannerly is sponsored by Neuhaus Stage Season Sponsor Randall H. Jamail. The Alley Theatre is supported by the 2009-2010 season sponsor Continental Airlines, the official airline of the Alley Theatre.

Mrs. Mannerly features Alley Theatre Artists James Black as Jeffrey and Tony nominee Josie de Guzman as Mrs. Mannerly.

James Black (Jeffrey) is proud to be celebrating his 22nd consecutive season at the Alley where as an actor and occasional director, he has been involved in over one hundred productions. Recent appearances include Our Town (Stage Manager), The Farnsworth Invention, Rock ‘n' Roll (Max), The Man Who Came to Dinner (SheriDan Whiteside), A Christmas Carol (Mrs. Dilber/ Jacob Marley), Cyrano de Bergerac (Le Bret), Othello (Iago), Arsenic and Old Lace (Jonathan Brewster), Treasure Island (Long John Silver), Hitchcock Blonde (Hitch), A Moon for the Misbegotten (James Tyrone Jr.), Orson's Shadow (Olivier), Journey's End (Lieutenant Osborne), A Christmas Carol (Scrooge), The Crucible (Proctor), After the Fall (Quentin), Black Coffee (Hercule Poirot), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Marcus Lycus), Twelfth Night (Sir Toby Belch), Sherlock Holmes (Moriarty), Hamlet (Claudius), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (George), One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest (McMurphy), How I Learned to Drive (Uncle Peck), View From the Bridge (Eddie Carbone), and Not About Nightingales (Butch O'Fallon) among others. He has also directed Doubt, Death on the Nile, Glengarry GLen Ross, Deathtrap, Dial "M" for Murder, Our Lady of 121st Street, The Foreigner, Of Mice and Men and As Bees in Honey Drown. His film and television credits include Olympia, The Man with the Perfect Swing, Houston: The Legend of Texas, Fire and Rain, Challenger, Night Game, and Killing in a Small Town. He received a Theatre World Award for Outstanding Broadway Debut and a Drama Desk nomination for Best Actor for Not About Nightingales, and a BackStage West Garland Award for his appearance as Eddie Carbone in the Alley's production of A View from the Bridge.

Josie de Guzman (Mrs. Mannerly) returns to the Alley, having recently appeared as Mrs. Gibbs in Our Town, Eleanor/Esme in Rock ‘n' Roll, Maggie Cutler in The Man Who Came to Dinner, The Duenna in Cyrano de Bergerac, Matilde in The Clean House, Madame Yepanchin in Subject to Fits, the title role in Hapgood, as well as After the Fall, Twelfth Night, Sherlock Holmes, And Then There Were None and House and Garden. Recently, she appeared as Mrs. Gibbs in Hartford Stage's production of Our Town. Her Broadway career includes Tony nominations for Guys and Dolls and West Side Story, as well as creating roles in Nick and Nora, Runaways, and Carmelina. She won the 2002 Connecticut Critics Award for Anna in The King and I, and has appeared extensively at The Public Theatre (where she created roles in Elizabeth Swados' Runaways, Lullaby and Goodnight and The Haggadah), at BAM (Missionaries) and Off-Broadway (Tamara, Once Removed). Her regional theatre appearances include Hartford Stage (Diosa), Great Lakes (She Loves Me) and Denver Center (Man of La Mancha) as well as such varied classical roles as Carmen, Viola, Varya and Beatrice. Her films include Exiles in New York, FX and FX2, while television appearances include Miami Vice, The Cosby Show, Third Watch, All My Children and Guiding Light. Her recordings include Lullabies for Everyone and Nanas Para Todos (both sold at cdbaby.com), as well as the cast recordings of Guys and Dolls, Carmelina, and Runaways.

The design team of Mrs. Mannerly includes scenic and lighting design by Kevin Rigdon (Alley's Our Town, Sherlock Holmes and The Crucifer of Blood, Mauritius), costume design by Blaire Gulledge (Alley's The Crucifer of Blood, The Santaland Diaries, Underneath the Lintel), sound design by Tim Thompson (Alley Debut) and dramaturg Lauren Halvorsen (Alley's Our Town, Sherlock Holmes and The Crucifer of Blood, The Man Who Came to Dinner).

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets to Mrs. Mannerly start at $21. Tickets to Mrs. Mannerly are available for purchase at www.alleytheatre.org, at the Alley Theatre Box Office, 615 Texas Avenue, or by calling 713.220.5700. Groups of 10 or more can receive special concierge services and select discounts by calling 713.315.3346. The added convenience of reservations by phone or Internet is available for a nominal fee.

CAPTIONED PERFORMANCE
Saturday, January 30, 2:30 PM

The Alley Theatre is pleased to offer open captioning for many of our productions throughout the season. To ensure that your seats will accommodate your needs, please call the box office 713.220.5700 when ordering tickets to this performance. Discounted tickets are available for groups of ten or more. Call 713.315.3346 for more information.

TALKBACK
Saturday, February 6, 2:30 PM
Tuesday, February 9, 7:30 PM
Members of the cast return to the stage following the performance to take questions from the audience. TalkBacks are led by a member of the Alley Artistic Staff.