Williamstown's Elephant Man, With Bradley Cooper, Patricia Clarkson and Shuler Hensley, Begins July 25

By Adam Hetrick
25 Jul 2012

Bradley Cooper
Bradley Cooper
Photo by Joseph Marzullo/WENN

The Williamstown Theatre Festival's production of Bernard Pomerance's 1979 drama The Elephant Man, starring Bradley Cooper in the title role, begins performances July 25 on the Nikos Stage.

Directed by Scott Ellis, the cast features Academy Award nominee Patricia Clarkson as Mrs. Kendal, Cooper as John Merrick  (the titular Elephant Man), Tony Award winner Shuler Hensley as Ross/Bishop How/Snork, Scott Lowell as Will/Lord John/Earl, Alessandro Nivola as Frederick Treves, Marguerite Stimpson as Sandwich/Countess/Alexandra and Henry Stram as Carr Gomm/Conductor.

The production officially opens July 26 for a run through Aug. 5.

"From a desperate existence in a Victorian freak show to his days as the toast of London high society, the life of John Merrick, the Elephant Man, has fascinated the world for well over a century," according to Williamstown. "Though his disfigurement brought notoriety, it was his unblemished inner humanity that most astonished those around him, compelling examinations of their own prejudices and beliefs. Shattering our illusions of normalcy, The Elephant Man by Bernard Pomerance weaves Merrick's tale into a parable on beauty, innocence, and human dignity."

The creative team includes Timothy Mackabee (scenic and projections design), Clint Ramos (costume design), Philip Rosenberg (lighting design) and Tom Kochan (original music/sound design). Davin DeSantis is the production stage manager.

Visit WilliamstownTheatreFestival.