Full Cast Set for UNRAVELLED At Wallis Annenberg Center For The Performing Arts
Performances will run from October 17-19.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Sep. 05, 2025
The cast has been revealed for the world premiere of UnRavelled, written by Jake Broder (Louis & Keely Live at the Sahara, Our American Hamlet) and directed by James Bonas (Metropolitan Opera, BBC Proms, Scottish Ballet), which is based on the true-life story about the remarkable link between biologist/painter Dr. Anne Adams (1940-2007) and French composer Maurice Ravel (1875-1937), both of whom lived with the same brain disease, frontotemporal dementia (FTD), almost 100 years apart.
The cast includes Lucy Davenport (Scorsese's Gangs of New York; Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland; Jay Roach's Dinner for Schmucks) as Dr. Anne Adams; Andrew Borba (Straight Outta Compton, Interstellar, Live from Baghdad; The Little Foxes at Antaeus) as Robert Adams; Leo Marks (The Line; Mysterious Circumstances at The Geffen Playhouse) as Maurice Ravel; Tracey A. Leigh (Modern Family; Law & Order; national tour of The Vagina Monologues) as Russian dancer Ida Rubinstein; and Larry Poindexter (S.W.A.T.; Fatherland at Manhattan Theatre Club) as Dr. Bruce Miller.
Featured musical artists are Rachel Iba (violin), Michelle Elliott Rearick (cello), Aron Kallay (keyboards), Nathaniel Edison (winds), and Randy Gloss (percussion).
Opening night is October 17, with additional performances October 18 and 19, 2025.
Eminent biologist Dr. Anne Adams abandons her prestigious career after becoming inexplicably consumed by a desire to paint for the first time in her life. While her marriage begins to fracture and her life unravels, she develops an obsession with Maurice Ravel's Boléro. At the heart of Dr. Adams transformation is a devastating diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Yet, as Anne's cognitive decline accelerates, her art flourishes. Through her paintings, Anne uncovers a pattern that may offer clues to unlocking mysteries about the brain's networks and creativity. UnRavelled asks: What does it mean to lose one's mind, yet still find ways to express one's soul?
FTD is the most common form of dementia in people under age 60, which manifests with behavioral alterations - not memory loss or paralysis typical of other types of dementia. FTD is the same kind of dementia that afflicts actor Bruce Willis.
UnRavelled Outreach, a fascinating and enlightening "Brain Health Festival "at The Wallis offering a deeper dive into the play's themes, runs concurrently with the production. Led by Outreach Director Samantha Rose Williams, the festival features an array of pre- and post-performance activities, including the first major art exhibition of Dr. Adams' paintings, talk-backs, informative lectures, art therapy workshops, and engaging interactive displays designed to transform the conversation around dementia to spread a message of hope, possibility, and creativity. UnRavelled Outreach also brings to the Los Angeles community a groundbreaking LA Caregiver Roadmap for FTD produced by Cedars Sinai, in partnership with UCSF and Emma Heming Willis. This first-of-its-kind resource guide was created to connect LA-based caregivers to local services, research and drug trial opportunities, and community support for individuals diagnosed with FTD.
UnRavelled and its outreach programs are presented in partnership and with the generous support of the Dana Foundation; Global Brain Health Institute; Kristin Holloway; Lilly Pharmaceuticals; The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration; The Kissick Family Foundation; UCSF Memory and Aging Center; and San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Local partners include Cedars-Sinai, For Their Thoughts Foundation, and UCLA Brain Research Institute. Support is also generously provided by the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.
Videos