UK News: John Mahoney leads Mamet's Romance in London

John Mahoney LEADS CAST IN EUROPEAN PREMIERE OF David Mamet'S ROMANCE

John Mahoney will lead the cast at the Almeida in the European premiere of David Mamet's courtroom farce, Romance. Romance is directed by Lindsay Posner with set and costume designs by Peter McKintosh and lighting by Neil Austin. The production will now open on 6 September with press night on 14 September and will run until 22 October - please note this is a new opening schedule.

Romance, which received its world premiere earlier this year at the Atlantic Theatre Company in New York, is a satirical farce set in a modern day courtroom exploring subjects ranging from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, sexual fidelity, and world peace.

John Mahoney, best known for playing Martin Crane in the popular TV series Frasier, will lead the cast as the Judge. Born in Blackpool, England, he moved to the US where he studied at Quincy University, Illinois before joining the US Army. His extensive work with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago includes The Dresser, Death and the Maiden, Of Mice and Men, Death of Salesman and Absent Friends. He was last seen on the London stage in Steppenwolf's The Man Who Came to Dinner at the Barbican in 1998. In New York his theatre work includes House of Blue Leaves, The Weir, The Subject of Roses and Orphans. He made his film debut in 1960 and has played supporting roles in such films as Suspect and Moonstruck, Frantic, Barton Fink, In the Line of Fire, The Hudsucker Proxy and Primal Fear. He also provided the voices for several characters in the animated film Antz. Mahoney appeared in Frasier from its inception in 1993, until the final episode in 2004, and received Emmy and Golden Globe award nominations for his role as Marty.  

Lindsay Posner's more recent theatre work includes David Mamet's A Life in the Theatre and Harold Pinter's The Birthday Party which is currently playing at the Duchess Theatre. His other work includes Mamet's Oleanna at the Garrick Theatre, Sexual Perversity in Chicago at the Comedy Theatre and Moliere's Tartuffe at The National Theatre.

Romance marks the first play by David Mamet to be produced at the Almeida. His other works as a playwright include Oleanna, Glengarry Glen Ross (for which he won the Pulitzer Prize and is currently playing on Broadway), American Buffalo, A Life in the Theatre, Sexual Perversity in Chicago and Speed-the-Plow. As well as translations and adaptations his other writing includes five volumes of essays, children's books, as well as poems and novels. His films, as a writer, include The Postman Always Rings Twice, The Verdict, The Untouchables and The Winslow Boy and as writer/director, House of Games, Oleanna, The Spanish Prisoner, State and Main and Heist.

COUTTS & CO

The Almeida is pleased to announce that Coutts & Co, the UK's leading private bank, will continue to support the theatre as Principal Sponsors for a third year until May 2006. Coutts has funded the Almeida since its re-opening in May 2003 and the theatre now forms a major part of Coutts' long term commitment to the performing arts.

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