Tomei, Whaley Lead New Group's MARIE AND BRUCE 3/14-5/7

The New Group proudly presents the first major New York revival of Wallace Shawn's Marie and Bruce in a limited Off-Broadway engagement March 14 - May 7. Directed by Scott Elliott, this production features Marisa Tomei as Marie and Frank Whaley as Bruce. Official Opening Night is set for Tuesday, April 5 at 7:00 PM at The New Group @ Theatre Row.

Marie and Bruce recounts the day Marie finally resolves to tell her charming and impossibly positive husband Bruce that she's had enough. After a contentious morning in their apartment, Marie and Bruce embark on individual journeys through the city leading up to a dinner party that night. Wallace Shawn's Marie and Bruce contemplates a particular New York couple trapped in a marital mishmash of love, hate, caring and commitment.The New Group production of Marie and Bruce features Tina Benko, Russell G. Jones, Cindy Katz, Devin Ratray, Alok Tewari, Marisa Tomei, Adam Trese, Frank Whaley and Alison Wright. The production includes Set Design by Derek McLane, Costume Design by Jeff Mahshie, Lighting Design by Jason Lyons and Sound Design by Shane Rettig. (Biographies follow) Written in 1979, Marie and Bruce premiered that year at the Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court in London, directed by Les Waters and starring Stephanie Fayerman and Philip Donaghy in the title roles. The first New York production was in 1980 at The Public Theater, New York Shakespeare Festival. Directed by Wilford Leach and produced by Joseph Papp, that production featured Louise Lasser as Marie and Bob Balaban as Bruce. The 2004 film Marie and Bruce, with screenplay by Wallace Shawn and Tom Cairns (who also directed) starred Julianne Moore and Matthew Broderick as the title characters.Wallace Shawn's first play, Our Late Night, was honored with an Off-Broadway Obie Award (1975). Other plays include A Thought in Three Parts (1976), Aunt Dan and Lemon (1985), The Fever (1990-1991 Obie Award), The Designated Mourner (1997) and Grasses of a Thousand Colors (2009). Other works include the 1977 translation of Machiavelli's The Mandrake and a translation of Brecht's The Threepenny Opera (represented on Broadway in 2006, Roundabout Theater Company, directed by Scott Elliott). With André Gregory, he wrote the film My Dinner With André, and with Tom Cairns wrote the screenplay for Marie and Bruce. As an actor, he has appeared in film and on stage with credits including Manhattan, Radio Days, Vanya on 42nd Street, Clueless, The Wife, The Moderns and many others. Shawn's Essays (Haymarket Books) was just released in paperback. This marks Shawn's fifth collaboration with The New Group. In 2005, he appeared in the company's revival of David Rabe's Hurlyburly directed by Scott Elliott. His play Aunt Dan and Lemon was presented by The New Group in 2003, and in 2007, he appeared in The Fever (both under Elliott's direction). The Music Teacher, a play with music written with brother AlLen Shawn and directed by Tom Cairns, was presented by the company in 2006. Director Scott Elliott is the founding Artistic Director of The New Group, where he recently helmed the world premiere of Tommy Nohilly's Blood From A Stone. Last season, Elliott directed the new musical The Kid, based on the book by Dan Savage The Kid: What Happened after My Boyfriend and I Decided to Go Get Pregnant. With The New Group, he has produced over 45 plays, 21 of which he directed, including Groundswell, Rafta, Rafta..., The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Hurlyburly, Aunt Dan and Lemon, The Fever, and 5 plays by Mike Leigh: Two Thousand Years, Abigail's Party, Smelling a Rat, Goose-Pimples and Ecstasy. Broadway credits include Present Laughter, Barefoot in the Park, and 3 plays produced by The Roundabout: The Threepenny Opera, The Women and Three Sisters. He is also a film director and screenwriter.Last season, The New Group (Scott Elliott, Artistic Director; Geoff Rich, Executive Director) presented the extended run of Kenneth Lonergan's The Starry Messenger featuring Matthew Broderick, the sold-out revival of Sam Shepard's A Lie of the Mind directed by Ethan Hawke, and the world premiere of the new musical The Kid, directed by Scott Elliott. Other recent productions include Ian Bruce's Groundswell, Eugene O'Neill's Mourning Becomes Electra, Ayub Khan-Din's Rafta, Rafta..., Jonathan Marc Sherman's Things We Want, Jay Presson Allen's The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and Bernard Weinraub's The Accomplices. Additional standouts include David Rabe's Hurlyburly, Mike Leigh's Two Thousand Years, Abigail's Party, Smelling a Rat, Goose-Pimples and Ecstasy, Wallace Shawn's The Fever and Aunt Dan and Lemon, Kenneth Lonergan's This is Our Youth and Kevin Elyot's Mouth to Mouth and My Night With Reg. The New Group is a recipient of the 2004 Tony® Award for Best Musical (Avenue Q). Marie and Bruce plays at The New Group @ Theatre Row (The Acorn Theatre / 410 West 42nd Street, between 9th & 10th Aves) as follows: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday at 7:00 PM and Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 8:00 PM. Matinees Saturday at 2:00 PM. Tickets may be arranged through www.telecharge.com or (212) 239-6200, or at the Theatre Row Box Office (12-8 PM daily). Tickets are $60.00 plus $1.25 restoration fee. For more info, visit www.thenewgroup.org.

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