New Group artistic director Scott Elliott (Aunt Dan and Lemon) will stage the work for his troupe at Theatre Row — where the company is in residence. The play will begin Jan. 10, 2005 and open Jan. 27 for a run through March 5, 2005.
Ethan Hawke (Henry IV, "Reality Bites") will star in a cast alongside fellow stage and screen stars including Bobby Cannavale (Fucking A, "Six Feet Under"), Josh Hamilton (Proof, "With Honors") and Catherine Kellner (The Long Christmas Ride Home, "200 Cigarettes").
"I have been fascinated with the role of Eddie from Hurlyburly since I was 18 years old, when I first discovered David Rabe's play," said Hawke. "Hurlyburly is one of the great modern plays, and playing Eddie is probably my most challenging, darkest role to date. It's a challenge I'm looking forward to."
The design team of Hurlyburly includes Derek McLane (sets), Jeff Mahshie (costumes), Jason Lyons (lights) and Ken Travis (sound).
Rabe's Los Angeles-set drama follows the lives of four men "caught in love-hate relationships with Hollywood and women," according to a release. The play ran Off Broadway in 1984 with a cast that included William Hurt, Judith Ivey, Harvey Keitel, Cynthia Nixon, Ron Silver, Jerry Stiller and Sigourney Weaver. The work then transferred to Broadway garnering four Tony nominations (with one win for Ivey). Rabe later adapted it for the screen for the 1998 film starring Sean Penn, Kevin Spacey, Anna Paquin, Meg Ryan, Chazz Palminteri and Robin Wright Penn. Hawke was recently seen on Broadway Henry IV and previously in the 1992 revival of The Seagull. The actor received an Academy Award nomination for his work in "Training Day." His numerous other screen credits include "Dead Poets Society," "Waterland," "Floundering," "Reality Bites," "Great Expectations," "Snow Falling on Cedars," "Hamlet," "Tape" and "The Newton Boys."
The actor was previously reported to star opposite Jessica Lange in a Broadway revival of The Glass Menagerie. Though no official announcement has been made, a casting notice revealed a tentative start date of Feb. 12, 2005 towards a March 3, 2005 opening. A spokesperson for that production could not be reached at press time.
John Cullum (Urinetown, Shenandoah) currently stars in The New Group presentation of Michael Murphy's Sin (A Cardinal Deposed) which will open Oct. 26 for a run through Dec. 4. The company will also co-present (with The Play Company) the American premiere of Sascha Dugdale translation of Vladimir and Oleg Presnyakov's Terrorism directed by James Lapine (Into The Woods, Fran's Bed).
The New Group season will play at Theatre Row, 410 West 42 St. For more information on The New Group, visit www.thenewgroup.org.
