Nichols to Direct Freeman & McDormand in 'Country Girl?'

According to the New York Post'sMichael Riedel, Oscar-winners Morgan Freeman and Frances McDormand are likely to make their Broadway debut in a revival of Clifford Odets' 1950 backstage drama The Country Girl this spring.

Tony Award-winner Mike Nichols (Spamalot, The Real Thing; film: Closer, The Birdcage) will direct the production, with Freeman (Million Dollar Baby, The Shawshank Redemption, Driving Miss Daisy) as alcoholic Frank Elgin, an actor set on making a stage comeback, and McDormand (North Country, Almost Famous, Fargo) as Georgie, his frustrated wife.

Riedel writes that the production will not be The Country Girl of over a half century ago: "Nichols is a big fan of the play, and by casting Freeman as the washed-up actor, he's clearly giving The Country Girl a political dimension. Audiences won't be able to watch Freeman without thinking of Paul Robeson, whose life and career hit the skids in the 1950s when he was brought before the House Un-American Activities Committee. Nichols is going to alter some of the dialogue to deal with the issue of a mixed marriage in the 1950s. Some of the original lines about life in the theater are bound to get unintended laughs, as when the producer says the washed- up actor isn't worth risking $200,000 on, or that people won't pay $6.60 to see him."

One of the last plays of Odets (Awake and Sing!, Waiting for Lefty, Golden Boy), The Country Girl opened at the Lyceum Theatre on November 10th, 1050 to run for 236 performances.  Uta Hagen, who starred with Paul Kelly, won a Tony Award for her work as Georgie.  Grace Kelly also won an Oscar for her performance in the 1954 film version, which also featured Bing Crosby and William Holden.  Riedel writes that Nichols is on the lookout for a hot young actor to play Holden's character, director Bernie Dodd, after briefly considering Tony Shalhoub for the role.

Nichols and Bill Haber (Spamalot) will produce The Country Girl.

Photo of Morgan Freeman by Retna Ltd.