Silverstone, Tenney & Germann Star in LA Speed-the-Plow

Artistic director of the Geffen Playhouse, Randall Arney, will direct the next production on the theater's main stage.  Speed-the-Plow, penned by theaward-winning David Mamet, begins preview performances on January 30, 2007 and opens on February 7.  Starring Greg Germann (Charlie Fox), Alicia Silverstone (Karen) and Jon Tenney (Bobby Gould), Speed-the-Plow  is billed as "a fast-paced satirical look at Hollywood executives and their monetary decisions in moviemaking profits over the art of cinema."

"Nearly 20 years after its Broadway premiere, the play delves into the world of studio executive Bobby Gould who must choose between green lighting a formulaic prison-breakout drama with a big star attached, and an obscure mystical novel about the end of the world.  Gould's dilemma includes making a fortune or wanting 'to do good,'" state press materials.

Arney previously directed the Geffen's critically acclaimed production of Arthur Miller's All My Sons, which received eight nominations and received the Ovation Award for Best Play by the LA Stage Alliance. 

Mamet's Speed-the-Plow was first presented on May 3, 1988 by Lincoln Center Theatre at the Royale Theater on Broadway, and opened to rave reviews.  Directed by Gregory Mosher, the cast included Joe Mantegna (Bobby Gould), Ron Silver (Charlie Fox) and Madonna (Karen).  The first Los Angeles production was staged at the Odyssey Theatre in April 1997, directed by Elina de Santo, featuring actors Casey Biggs (Bobby Gould) and Jack Stehlin (playing Charlie Fox). 

Silverstone, who has appeared on Broadway in The Graduate and regionally in Mamet's Boston Marriage, is known for films such as Clueless, Batman & Robin, Blast from the Past, The Crush, and Love's Labour's Lost.  Tenney, one of the stars of "The Closer," has appeared in "Without a Trace," "Will & Grace," "Kristin," and more.  He has appeared on Broadway in The Heiress and Off-Broadway in such plays as Tartuffe, Brighton Beach Memoirs and The Sustance of Fire.  Germann, best known for his work on "Ally McBeal," has been seen in Talladega Nights, Friends with Money, "Desperate Housewives," and more.  He has appeared onstage in plays for the Circle Repertory Company and Ensemble Studio Theatre.

Mamet's other plays include Glengarry Glen Ross, Oleanna, Romance and American Buffalo. 

Visit www.geffenplayhouse.com for tickets and more information.