The Simon Gray will play at the Boston University Theatre Oct. 24-Nov. 30. Opening night is set for Oct. 29.
Butley will be directed by Huntington's artistic director Nicholas Martin (Observe the Sons of Ulster...). Lane will play the title role as a literary professor who loses his wife and lover in the same day. Bates plays the live-in lover.
The dark comedy set in a London university opened at the Morosco Theatre on Broadway Oct. 31, 1972. British thespian Alan Bates (Fortune's Fool), who originated the title role in the Harold Pinter-directed London production (for which he won the Evening Standard Best Actor Award), reprised his portrayal to Tony-Award-winning success.
Lane, who recently made secret guest appearances on Broadway in The Play What I Wrote, won Tony Awards for his turns in The Producers and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Other credits include The Man Who Came to Dinner, Guys and Dolls, Love! Valour! Compassion! and Laughter on the 23rd Floor. He currently stars in Trumbo through Sept. 21.
Bates recently starred on Broadway with his father in Fortune’s Fool. Other London stage credits include Semi-Monde, Dorian Gray, Murphy in The Soldiers, Don Carlos, The Robbers, The Relapse, Simply Disconnected, The Picture Of Dorian Gray, The Broken Heart, The Rose Tattoo, The Cub, The Return of A.J. Raffles, and Holiday in the Sun. Also featured in the cast are Pamela J. Gray, Austin Lysy, Marguerite Stimpson, Angela Thornton and Jake Weber.
The design team for Butley includes Alexander Dodge (set), Michael Krass (costumes), David Weiner (lights)and Kurt Kellenberger (sound).
Butley was shifted to the slot previously announced for the world premiere of Jon Robin Baitz's The Paris Letter — which is now postponed due to "artist's scheduling difficulties." The recent Playwrights Horizons solo show, Bad Dates by Theresa Rebeck, now fills the Jan. 2-Feb. 1, 2004 slot with its Off-Broadway star Julie White.
For tickets to Butley at the Huntington, at 264 Huntington Avenue, in Boston, MA call (617) 266-0800. For more information, visit www.huntingtontheatre.org.
