Cast of Off-Broadway's HELLMAN V. MCCARTHY Set for THEATER TALK this Weekend

An all-new THEATER TALK features the cast of Brian Richard Mori's Hellman v. McCarthy, a dramatization of "the greatest literary feud in modern history" between the eminent writers Mary McCarthy and Lillian Hellman. It began when McCarthy, who was appearing on The Dick Cavett Show, January 25, 1980, said of Hellman, "Every word she writes is a lie, including 'and' and 'the.'"

Hellman (who had first achieved notoriety with plays including The Children's Hour and The Little Foxes and was enjoying renewed fame - and a bit of controversy - as a bestselling memoirist) was watching the broadcast from home and went ballistic. She promptly sued McCarthy (best known for the massively successful novel, The Group) as well as Cavett. The lawsuit, which became a cause célèbre in the literary community, spanned more than four years and completely consumed both women's lives.

Now at the Abingdon Theatre Company's June Havoc Theatre, Hellman v. McCarthy features Dick Cavett as himself, Roberta Maxwell as Hellman and Marcia Rodd as McCarthy. All three appear on THEATER TALK to shed light on a remarkable bit of history; the actresses discuss coming to understand and portray their talented, cantankerous characters, and Cavett also shares what it's like to recreate his younger self on stage.

Hosted by Michael Riedel and Susan Haskins, THEATER TALK's Hellman v. McCarthy episode premieres in the New York metropolitan area Friday, March 21 (2014) at 1 AM (Saturday morning) on Thirteen/PBS, and continues on CUNY TV* Saturday 3/22 at 8:30 PM, Sunday 3/23 at 12:30 PM, and Monday 3/24 at 7:30 AM, 1:30 PM, and 7:30 PM.

THEATER TALK is jointly produced by the not-for-profits Theater Talk Productions and CUNY TV. The program is taped in the Himan Brown TV and Radio Studios at The City University of New York (CUNY) TV in Manhattan, and is distributed to 100+ participating public television stations nationwide. THEATER TALK is made possible in part by The New York State Council on the Arts, The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, The TDF/TAP Plus Program, The CUNY TV Foundation and The Friends of THEATER TALK. *CUNY TV, the City University of New York television station, is broadcast in the New York metropolitan area on digital Ch. 25.3, and cablecast in the five boroughs of New York City on Ch. 75 (Time Warner and Cablevision/Optimum), Ch. 77 (RCN), and Ch. 30 (Verizon FiOS). The show is available online anytime at www.cuny.tv and www.theatertalk.org and via iTunes podcasts. CUNY TV is also live-streamed for mobile, tablet and desktop viewing on www.Aereo.com.

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