The Actors Fund will present an all-star reading of ALL ABOUT EVE, the classic backstage drama that is one of the most entertaining and witty films of all time. The reading will star Tony Awardâ winner Brian Bedford as ‘Addison DeWitt,’ Tony Awardâ nominee Peter Gallagher as ‘Bill,’ four time Tony Awardâ winner Angela Lansbury as ‘Birdie,’ Tony Awardâ winner Cynthia Nixon as ‘Karen,’ and Emmy Awardâ nominee John Slattery as ‘Lloyd.’ As previously announced, Golden Globeâ Award-winning actress Annette Bening will star as ‘Margo Channing.’
ALL ABOUT EVE will be presented Monday, November 10 at 7:30pm at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre (230 West 49th Street).
Additional casting, including the role of Eve, will be announced soon.
The reading of ALL ABOUT EVE will be directed by Emmyâ and DGA Award-winning director John Erman (“Roots,” “Who Will Love My Children”).
The 1950 film, ALL ABOUT EVE, is written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, based on the short story “The Wisdom of Eve,” by Mary Orr, and stars Bette Davis as Margo Channing, the prominent yet aging Broadway star. Anne Baxter plays Eve Harrington, a willingly helpful young fan who insinuates herself into Channing’s life, threatening Channing’s career and personal relationships. The film also features George Sanders, Celeste Holm, Hugh Marlowe, Gary Merrill, Marilyn Monroe and Thelma Ritter. ALL ABOUT EVE was nominated for 14 Academy Awardsâ and won 6, including Best Picture.
Presented courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.
Special thanks to Duncan Weldon, Paul Elliott and Sonia Friedman.
BIOGRAPHIES
Brian Bedford (Addison) on leaving the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, played Hamlet at the age of 21. This was followed by performances in London's West End and Stratford-on-Avon working with, among others, Sir John Gielgud and Peter Brook. Gielgud's production of Peter Shaffer's first play, Five Finger Exercise, brought him to Broadway where he starred in more than 20 productions, receiving five Tony nominations for Best Actor and winning the award for Molière's School for Wives. Other honors include the Obie, Outer Circle Critics Award, L.A. Drama Critics Award and two Drama Desk Awards. He has directed and acted for 20 seasons at the Stratford Festival of Canada. His one-man Shakespeare show has taken him around the world. Film and TV credits include "Frasier," "More Tales of the City," "Scarlett," Nixon, Grand Prix and the voice of Robin Hood. This winter he will appear on TV with Kelsey Grammar in "Mr. St. Nick." He was recently inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame.
