THE Pearl Theatre Company (J.R. Sullivan, Artistic Director) has announced the casting for Eugene O’Neill’s haunting and passionate A MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN. Beginning performances on March 6, 2012 at New York City Center Stage II, this masterpiece, written in the twilight of O’Neill’s illustrious career, follows a moonlight encounter between two lonely souls. The production will be directed by J.R. Sullivan.
The 5-person cast for A MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN will include Dan Daily (Phil Hogan), a Pearlcompany member since 1998, who is currently appearing in The Philanderer and has appeared off-Broadway with The New Group, Keen Company, and Classic Stage Company. Kim Martin-Cotten (Josie Hogan) makes her debut with The Pearl, having been seen on Broadway in Merchant of Venice (with Al Pacino) and in the national tour of August: Osage County. Regionally, she has appeared at The Goodman Theatre, The Actors Theatre of Louisville, and the Shakespeare Theatre DC. Andrew May (James Tyrone), also making his debut with the company, has been seen regionally with the Cleveland Play House, Great Lakes Theater, and Williamstown Theatre Festival. He will be seen in the upcoming national tour of War Horse. Kern McFadden (T. Stedman Harder), last appeared at The Pearl as Oronte in The Misanthrope. He has appeared in New York with the Irish Repertory Theatre and regionally with The Old Globe, the La Jolla Playhouse, and the Utah Shakespeare Festival. Sean McNall (Mike Hogan), a member of The Pearl company since 2003, was featured this season in the title role of Richard II and last season as Alceste in The Misanthrope. Mr. McNall received a 2008 OBIE Award for Sustained Excellence in Performance.
Centered on the passionate and lonely Josie Hogan and the self-destructive James Tyrone, a character modeled on O’Neill’s own older brother, A MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN has been hailed as one of O’Neill’s masterpieces and as one of the great works of the American stage. Having premiered in 1947, the play is a haunting exploration of despair, love, and resurrection. According to Frank Rich in the New York Times, O’Neill “distilled his theme to its purest form…and then transcended it.”
