Tony Award-Winner Richard Easton Joins Cast of Theater Previews at Duke's World Premiere of Gore Vidal's On the March to the Sea
Durham, N.C. –Richard Easton, who has amassed scores of stage credits over a distinguished five-decade career, has signed on to co-star with Michael Learned in the premiere of On the March to the Sea by Gore Vidal, according to Theater Previews at Duke. The play will run Feb. 22 – March 6, 2005 at Reynolds Theater on the Duke campus in Durham, N.C.
Easton won a 2001 Tony Award for Best Actor for his role in Tom Stoppard’s The Invention of Love. He recently appeared on Broadway in The Rivals by Irish playwright Richard Sheridan and Noises Off by British playwright Michael Frayn and now comes to Duke to work with formidable American writer Gore Vidal. He will join stage, film and television stars Michael Learned (Emmy Award winner for her role as Olivia Walton in The Waltons) and Chris Noth (Theatre World Award winner for his performance as Senator Joseph Cantwell in Gore Vidal’s The Best Man) in the cast.
“We are delighted to have yet another outstanding and acclaimed actor join our cast,” says Zannie Giraud Voss, producing director at Duke. “With such a strong base of talent, we expect that Mr. Vidal’s captivating script will be brought to life in an extraordinary way.”
On the March to the Sea will be directed by Warner Shook and produced as a staged theatrical concert reading.
Tickets are on sale for the production at University Box Office (919-684-4444, www.tickets.duke.edu). Prices range from $20 to $39, with discounts for students and groups.
Gore Vidal, known as a “literary lion” of our times, is an outspoken and prolific American novelist, playwright, screenwriter, historian and essayist, one of the great stylists of contemporary American prose. He has written 22 novels, short stories, political and literary essays, reviews and a volume of memoirs. Vidal remains active in several other arenas, including politics, television and publishing. In 1993, a collection of his criticism, United States: Essays 1952-1992, won the National Book Award.
Michael Learned, perhaps best known for her Emmy-winning portrayal of Olivia Walton in The Waltons, has had an extensive film and stage career as well. Recent productions include Edward Albee’s All Over with costar Rosemary Harris, and Gore Vidal’sThe Best Man on Broadway, in which she costarred with Chris Noth, who will again appear alongside her in the production at Duke. Noth may be best known for his roles as Mr. Big in HBO’s Sex and the City, in which he appeared as Sarah Jessica Parker’s love interest, and as Detective Mike Logan in the TV series Law and Order.
Theater Previews at Duke’s mission is to serve as a breeding ground for professional, innovative and high quality new plays and musicals, and to offer audiences the opportunity to engage in productions in a variety of stages of development. The presence of the playwright is an essential part of the program. Theater Previews provides the personnel, space, time and support required to bring his or her vision to fruition in the course of producing work that makes a contribution to the field on a national scale.
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