WCP Hosts Reading of Neil Simon's Chapter Two for Valentine's Day 2/14

For Valentine's Day, Westport Country Playhouse will present a reading of Neil Simon's whimsical and touching romantic comedy, "Chapter Two," part of Westport Country Playhouse's popular Script in Hand Series, on Monday, February 14, 7 p.m. The cast includes Reed Birney and Geneva Carr. Other actors will be announced soon. Tickets to the one-night-only event are $15.

Based on playwright Neil Simon's personal experience, "Chapter Two" mixes laughter with heartache. A writer, whose wife has just died, returns to a lonely apartment. His younger brother, a theatrical press agent and born matchmaker, tries to avert an emotional tailspin by arranging unwanted - and unsuccessful dates. Then he comes up with a winner, a soap opera actress - but it's a rocky road ahead for the not-so-young lovers. The play was nominated for the 1978 Tony Award for Best Play.

Reed Birney's credits at Westport Country Playhouse include "The Member of the Wedding," directed by JoAnne Woodward, "The Cocktail Hour," "Return Engagements," "The Dining Room" and a reading of "Harvey." Recent New York work includes "A Small Fire" and "Circle Mirror Transformation" at Playwrights Horizons and the role of Tony Blair in "Stuff Happens" at The Public Theater. He will open soon in "The Dream of the Burning Boy" at The Roundabout Underground. Birney has won three Obie Awards and a Drama Desk Award.
Geneva Carr appeared at Westport Country Playhouse in "How the Other Half Loves," "Time of My Life," "Relatively Speaking" and readings of "And Then There Were None" and "Bedroom Farce." She has performed Off-Broadway at Theater for the New City, Manhattan Theatre Club, Naked Angels and in "Betty's Summer Vacation" at Playwrights Horizons. Regional theater includes "The Vagina Monologues" (North American Tour) and "Rabbit Hole." Her films include "Love and Other Drugs" and "It's Complicated."
Playwright Neil Simon's first Broadway play was "Come Blow Your Horn" in 1961, followed by the musical "Little Me" which earned his first Tony Award nomination. He has written over 30 plays, garnered 17 Tony Award nominations and won three. He also won the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for "Lost in Yonkers." Simon has written screenplays for more than 20 films, receiving four Academy Award nominations.

The reading will be directed by Anne Keefe, Playhouse artistic advisor and the Script in Hand Series curator. The Script in Hand Series is sponsored by Michele and Marc Flaster; with additional support from Ann Sheffer and Bill Scheffler. The Series is also funded in part, by the White Barn Program of the Lucille Lortel Foundation and Newman's Own Foundation.

To celebrate Valentine's Day, The Playhouse is offering a special Valentine's gift promotion - purchase a 2011 season subscription for five guaranteed dates with your spouse or significant other and receive a voucher for a glass of Prosecco with each subscription. The special offer is available between February 1 and February 14. Subscriptions may be purchased online at www.westportplayhouse.org; by calling 203-227-4177, or by visiting the box office at 25 Powers Court, Westport.

Upcoming Script in Hand readings include PatRick Hamilton's suspense thriller "Angel Street," upon which the classic film "Gaslight" is based, on Monday, March 14, 7 p.m. Others, titles to be announced, are scheduled for Mondays, November 14 and December 12. Tickets are now on sale for all Script in Hand readings.

About The Playhouse

Westport Country Playhouse, a not-for-profit theater, serves as a treasured home for the performing arts and is a cultural landmark for Connecticut. Under the artistic direction of Mark Lamos and management direction of Michael Ross, The Playhouse creates quality productions of new and classic plays that enlighten, enrich and engage a diverse community of theater lovers, artists and students. The Playhouse's rich history dates back to 1931, when New York theater producer Lawrence Langner created a Broadway-quality stage within an 1830s tannery. The Playhouse quickly became an established stop on the New England "straw hat circuit" of summer stock theaters. Now celebrating its 80th season, Westport Country Playhouse has produced more than 700 plays, 36 of which later transferred to Broadway, most recently the world premiere of "Thurgood" and a revival of Thornton Wilder's "Our Town" with Paul Newman, and in earlier years "Come Back, Little Sheba" with Shirley Booth, "The Trip to Bountiful" with Lillian Gish, and "Butterflies Are Free" with Keir Dullea and Blythe Danner. For its artistic excellence, The Playhouse received a 2005 Governor's Arts Award and a 2000 "Connecticut Treasure" recognition. It was also designated as an Official Project of Save America's Treasures by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and is entered on the Connecticut State Register of Historic Places. Following a multi-million dollar renovation completed in 2005, The Playhouse transformed into a year-round, state-of-the-art producing theater, which has preserved its original charm and character. In addition to a full season of theatrical productions, The Playhouse serves as a community resource, presenting educational programming and workshops; a children's theater series; symposiums; music; films; and readings.

Westport Country Playhouse's 2011 season will include five productions: "Beyond Therapy," a wicked, and wickedly funny, look at the days and nights of the young and single, written by comic master Christopher Durang and directed by Tony Award winner John Rando, April 26 - May 14; "The Circle," the scintillating comedy of manners, written by W. Somerset Maugham and directed by Nicholas Martin, June 7 - June 25; "Lips Together, Teeth Apart," a perceptive comedy about people struggling against their limitations, written by Terrence McNally and directed by Mark Lamos, Playhouse artistic director, July 12 - July 30; "Suddenly Last Summer," the poetic, sensual and evocative drama, written by Tennessee Williams and directed by David Kennedy, Playhouse associate artistic director, August 23 - September 10; and "Twelfth Night, or What You Will," the beguiling comedy/romance, written by William Shakespeare and directed by Mark Lamos, October 11 - October 29.

For more information or ticket purchases, call the box office at (203) 227-4177, or toll-free at 1-888-927-7529, or visit 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport. Tickets may be purchased online 24/7 at www.westportplayhouse.org. Stay connected to The Playhouse on Facebook (Westport Country Playhouse) and/or follow on Twitter (@WCPlayhouse).

 

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