Producers David Richenthal, Eric Falkenstein and Randall Wreghitt have announced that Tobias Segal, Daniel Orsekes, Michael Cummings, Simone Joy Jones, Yvette Ganier and Lance Chantiles-Wertz complete the cast of the first revival of William Gibson's THE MIRACLE WORKER as the Tony Award® winning play celebrates its 50th Anniversary of opening on Broadway.
THE MIRACLE WORKER, directed by Kate Whoriskey (Ruined), will star Academy Award® nominee Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) and Tony Award® nominee Alison Pill (The Lieutenant of Inishmore) as Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan, iconic roles made famous by Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke in the Tony Award® winning play and landmark feature film adaptation, Golden Globe® and Emmy Award® nominee Matthew Modine ("And the Band Played On," Short Cuts), Jennifer Morrison (Fox series "House M.D.," the film Star Trek) and Tony Award® winner Elizabeth Franz (Death of a Salesman).
THE MIRACLE WORKER will be staged in the round for the first time at Circle in the Square Theatre (235 West 50 Street). Previews will begin on Friday, February 12, 2010 toward an officially opening Wednesday, March 3, 2010.
Set in the South in the 1880s, THE MIRACLE WORKER tells the story of real-life blind and deaf Medal of Freedom winner Helen Keller, who suddenly lost her sight and hearing at the age of 19 months, and the extraordinary teacher who taught her to communicate with the world, Annie Sullivan.
THE MIRACLE WORKER originally opened at The Playhouse Theatre on October 19, 1959 and was awarded the 1960 Tony Award® for Best Play in addition to garnering leading lady Anne Bancroft a Tony Award® for Best Actress in a Play for the role of Annie Sullivan and a Theatre World Award for newcomer Patty Duke for her portrayal of Helen Keller. Both actresses received Academy Awards® for their work in the feature film adaptation.
Tobias Segal (James). Broadway debut. Last season, he played roles in The Cherry Orchard and A Winter's Tale in Sam Mendes' Bridge Project (BAM, Old Vic, European and Asian Tour.) Off Broadway, Toby appeared in From Up Here at MTC (Drama Desk and Drama League nominations) and Doris to Darlene at Playwrights Horizons. Regional credits in Denver and Philadelphia include Equus (Barrymore Award). Film and television: Rocky Balboa, New Year Parade (Slamdance Grand Jury Prize), "Medium," "Law & Order," "Law & Order SVU."
Daniel Oreskes (Doctor/Anagnos) originated the role of "Big Davey" in Billy Elliot. Other recent credits include "Theseus" in Midsummer Night's Dream (Public), "Jupiter" in Cymbeline (Lincoln Center). Film: The Thomas Crown Affair, Devil's Advocate. TV: "The Sopranos," "Waterfront," "Third Watch," "Law and Order."
Michael Cummings (Percy). Broadway: Lincoln Center Theatre: Joe Turner's Come and Gone. Off-Broadway: Ty Jones's Emancipation; Radha Blank's seed (Classical Theatre of Harlem); A Single Winters Day (Concordia Conservatory). TV: "One Life to Live," "Late Show with David Letterman," "Sesame Street."
SIMONE JOY JONES (Martha). Broadway debut. She is a 10 year old native of Greensboro, NC who enjoys reading, writing, singing, dancing and acting, and grateful for the opportunity to do what she loves on stage.
Yvette Ganier (Viney) won a 2002 OBIE in Breath Boom at Playwrights Horizons. Ms. Ganier, noted for her work with August Wilson, created "Black Mary" in Gem of the Ocean. She created "Rena" in Jitney performing in NY and London. Yvette appeared as "Tonya" in King Hedley II at the Goodman and went on to work on the Broadway production.
LANCE CHANTILES-WERTZ (Jimmie). Broadway Debut. Off-Broadway: The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd. New York City Ballet: The Nutcracker (Prince), Mother Goose. Eight operas with the Metropolitan Opera. MTV, Nickelodeon, The Onion News.Matthew Modine (Captain Keller). A veteran of over 50 films, Modine has starred in Alan Parker's Birdy, Jonathan Demme's Married to the Mob, Harold Becker's Vision Quest, Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, Alan J. Pakula's Orphans, John Schlesinger's Pacific Heights and Oliver Stone's On Any Given Sunday to name a few. In 1984, he was recognized by the Venice Film Festival for his work in Robert Altman's Streamers, while he and his cast mates received an unprecedented Best Actor Golden Lion Award. In 1993 he received a second award from the Venice Film Festival - a Volpi Cup for Best Ensemble Cast in Robert Altman's Golden Lion Award winning Shortcuts with the cast winning the Golden Globe® for Best Ensemble. Matthew earned Golden Globe® and Emmy Award® nominations for his performance in HBO's critically acclaimed, Emmy Award® winning drama "And the Band Played On." Modine received a Golden Globe® nomination for his performance in the 1998 Hallmark Entertainment production "What the Deaf Man Heard" (CBS), the highest rated television movie at that time on any network since 1991. Matthew also appeared in the Emmy Award® nominated CBS miniseries "Hitler: The Rise of Evil." Recently, Matthew starred in the feature film Opa! and just completed filming The Trial. Three of his short films, When I Was a Boy (co-directed with Todd Field), Smoking and Ecce Pirate debuted at the Sundance Film Festival to critical acclaim. When I Was a Boy also premiered at the prestigious New Directors/New Films at New York's Museum of Modern Art. I Think I Thought had its North American premiere at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. Cowboy premiered at the 2008 Los Angeles United Film Festival. Each of these films have since played major film festivals throughout the world. Modine's first feature, If...Doug...Rabbit starred John Hurt, Kevin J. O'Connor, Bruce Dern, Lisa Marie and David Keith. On stage he starred in the critically acclaimed Hartford Stage production of To Kill a Mockingbird and in the world premiere of Matthew Modine Saves the Alpacas at the Geffen Playhouse, a satire about the film industry. Modine directed the play 12 Angry Men starring F. Murray Abraham, Wallace Shawn and Seymour Cassel at the New Mercury Theater co-founded by Matthew and Todd Field in Beverly Hills, California. The Miracle Worker marks Modine's Broadway debut.
