Peccadillo Theater's THE SILVER CORD Begins Today

The Peccadillo Theater Company will present the first major NYC revival of Sidney Howard's 1926 play THE SILVER CORD this summer, directed by OBIE Award winner Dan Wackerman. Performances are set to begin tonight, June 5th, with the Opening on Tuesday, June 11th at 7pm at Theatre at St. Clement's, 423 West 46th Street (between Ninth & Tenth Ave.)

THE SILVER CORD, one of the most successful entries of the 1926-27 Broadway season, centers on a domineering matriarch who is pathologically close to her two adult sons. Originally starring Laura Hope Crews,THE SILVER CORD opened December 20, 1926 at the Golden Theatre, running for 232 performances. Miss Crews subsequently starred in the 1933 RKO film version with Irene Dunne and Joel McCrea, directed by John Cromwell.

The cast of THE SILVER CORD will feature Wilson Bridges (ACADEMY, SIGNS OF LIFE), Dale Carman(CITY OF HOPE, DOGFIGHT, Peccadillo's ROOM SERVICE), Caroline Kaplan (THREE SISTERS,Williamstown; GOING LIVE!, Guthrie), Thomas Matthew Kelley ("How to Make It in America," LOVE GOES TO PRESS), and Victoria Mack ("The Good Wife," Broadway's VENUS IN FUR).

Playwright Sidney Howard also wrote the plays THEY KNEW WHAT THEY WANTED (1925 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, later musicalized by Frank Loesser as THE MOST HAPPY FELLA), THE LATE CHRISTOPHER BEAN, DODSWORTH, NED McCOBB'S DAUGHTER, LUTE SONG, ALIEN CORN, YELLOW JACK, andCASANOVA. One of Hollywood's top screenwriters, Mr. Howard's classic films include GONE WITH THE WIND, DODSWORTH, RAFFLES, BULLDOG DRUMMOND, THE GREEKS HAD A WORD FOR THEM, andARROWSMITH. After his untimely death resulting from a farming accident, Sidney Howard received a posthumous Academy Award for GONE WITH THE WIND.

Scenic and lighting design for THE SILVER CORD is by Harry Feiner, with costume design by Gail Cooper-Hecht.

Founded in 1994, The Peccadillo Theater Company (Artistic Director, Dan Wackerman; Managing Director, Kevin Kennedy; Associate Managing Director, Georgia Buchanan) is a not-for-profit arts organization dedicated to the rediscovery of classic American theater, particularly those works which, despite their obvious literary and theatrical value, are not regularly revived. Beginning with Eugene O'Neill (generally considered the starting point of modern American theater), Peccadillo concentrates on the era of the so-called well-made play, a period of sparkling wit and sophistication in comedy as well as deepening realism in the drama. It encompasses such diverse and little-known works as JANE by S.N. Behrman, THE SHANGHAI GESTURE by John Colton as well as the neglected plays of celebrated authors like Dorothy Parker and John O'Hara. Collectively, this work represents nothing less than the American experience itself in all its contradictions and screwball energy.

In recent years, Peccadillo has broadened its mission to include original plays and musicals that share some of the virtues of classic American theater such as period style, well-defined characters and strong plotting. Such was the case with TEN CHIMNEYS, by Jeffrey Hatcher, a charming comedy of manners about the marriage of Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. And ZERO HOUR, about the actor/comedian Zero Mostel, whose appearance before the House Un-American Activities Committee was just as explosive as his stage performances.

THE SILVER CORD will play a limited Off-Broadway engagement through July 14th. The performance schedule is Wednesdays at 7pm, Thursdays through Saturdays at 8pm, with matinees Saturday at 2pm andSunday at 3 pm. Tickets are $55 and are available through www.ThePeccadillo.com or by calling OvationTix at212-352-3101.