Mint Presents Selections from Gordon & Rodgers Shows, 6/19
By: BWW News Desk Jun. 02, 2006
The Drama Desk and Obie Award-winning Mint Theater Company (311
West 43rd Street) will conclude its season dedicated to neglected plays by
American women by presenting a rare New York reading of Act 1 of Ruth
Gordon's 1948 play The Leading Lady. Stuart Howard will direct the performance, which will be on June 19th at 8pm. The evening will begin with
dinner at Le Madeleine (403 West 43rd Street) at 6pm.
The Leading Lady will feature real life married couple Carolyn McCormick and Byron Jennings as Gay and Gerald Marriot, a fictional stage couple from the turn of the century. The original was directed by Gordon's husband, Garson Kanin and had a very short run of only 8 performances. "It is difficult for anyone who has a sentimental attachment to the theatre's past not to have considerable affection for The Leading Lady, Ruth Gordon's warm and wistful play about stage people at the turn of the century." (Richard Watts Jr., The New York Post).
In addition, Mary Testa (See What I Wanna See) and Judith Blazer (Titanic) will perform selections from A Member Of The Wedding, the never-produced musical adaptation of Carson McCullers' play has lyrics by Marshall Barer and music by Mary Rodgers. Bruce Pomahac will provide musical direction.
"Mint Theater Company has a celebrated reputation for excavating such worthy but neglected treasures as Rose Franken's Soldier's Wife, nominated for a 2006 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding revival of a play, J.M. Barrie's Echoes of the War, Arthur Schnitzler's The Lonely Way and D.H. Lawrence's The Daughter-in-Law, which was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play and named one of the top ten productions of the year in 2003 by The New York Times. In 2001, the Mint was awarded an Obie grant for 'combining the excitement of discovery with the richness of tradition,' and in 2002 a special Drama Desk Award for 'Unearthing, presenting and preserving forgotten plays of merit,'" according to press notes. Mint has published two books: a volume of seven plays entitled, Worthy But Neglected: Plays of the Mint Theater Company and Arthur Schnitzler Reclaimed, which contains The Lonely Way and Far and Wide. Currently running is Rachel Crothers' Susan and God.
A limited number of remaining tickets at $100 and $150 are available to the public by calling the Mint at 212/315-0231.
The Leading Lady will feature real life married couple Carolyn McCormick and Byron Jennings as Gay and Gerald Marriot, a fictional stage couple from the turn of the century. The original was directed by Gordon's husband, Garson Kanin and had a very short run of only 8 performances. "It is difficult for anyone who has a sentimental attachment to the theatre's past not to have considerable affection for The Leading Lady, Ruth Gordon's warm and wistful play about stage people at the turn of the century." (Richard Watts Jr., The New York Post).
In addition, Mary Testa (See What I Wanna See) and Judith Blazer (Titanic) will perform selections from A Member Of The Wedding, the never-produced musical adaptation of Carson McCullers' play has lyrics by Marshall Barer and music by Mary Rodgers. Bruce Pomahac will provide musical direction.
"Mint Theater Company has a celebrated reputation for excavating such worthy but neglected treasures as Rose Franken's Soldier's Wife, nominated for a 2006 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding revival of a play, J.M. Barrie's Echoes of the War, Arthur Schnitzler's The Lonely Way and D.H. Lawrence's The Daughter-in-Law, which was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play and named one of the top ten productions of the year in 2003 by The New York Times. In 2001, the Mint was awarded an Obie grant for 'combining the excitement of discovery with the richness of tradition,' and in 2002 a special Drama Desk Award for 'Unearthing, presenting and preserving forgotten plays of merit,'" according to press notes. Mint has published two books: a volume of seven plays entitled, Worthy But Neglected: Plays of the Mint Theater Company and Arthur Schnitzler Reclaimed, which contains The Lonely Way and Far and Wide. Currently running is Rachel Crothers' Susan and God.
A limited number of remaining tickets at $100 and $150 are available to the public by calling the Mint at 212/315-0231.
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