Yesterday, May 2, Primary Stages concluded its celebratory 25th Anniversary Season with a special celebrity benefit stage reading performance of Godfather IV written by Emmy Award-winner Tom Fontana ("St. Elsewhere," "OZ"), with original music by Stephen Elkins. The reading was a collaborative effort between Primary Stages and the Writers Guild of America, East Foundation, for which Fontana is Foundation president. Proceeds from the reading will benefit both organizations. BroadwayWorld was there to capture the event.
Godfather IV finds three actors from the HBO Series "OZ" sitting in a diner, talking about their careers and the works of various screen immortals. When one of the trio (Chris Meloni) attacks the plausibility of the Jack Woltz scene in the movie The Godfather, the other two (Lee Tergesen, Dean Winters) decide to "re-enact" the scene by sneaking a horse's head into Meloni's bed. Unexpected complications arise.
The celebrity cast featured Christopher Meloni ("Law & Order SVU," "OZ"), Lee Tergesen (HBO's "Generation Kill," "OZ", "Desperate Housewives"), and Dean Winters ("Life on Mars," "30 Rock," "Rescue Me," "OZ"). Directed by Linda Laundra, the celebrity ensemble featured Mike Doyle, Zeljko Ivanek, Terry Kinney, David Laundra, Kristin Rohde, Eamonn Walker, and Catherine Wolf, with a special appearance by Mr. Fontana.
The special two performance fundraising event was presented at 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. at Primary Stages at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street). For more information, visit www.primarystages.org.
Photo Credit: Peter James Zielinski
Christopher Meloni
Dean Winters
Lee Tergesen, Dean Winters, Christopher Meloni and GODFATHER IV Company
Lee Tergesen, Dean Winters, Christopher Meloni and GODFATHER IV Company
Christopher Meloni and Lee Tergesen
Christohper Meloni and Lee Tergesen
Christopher Meloni and Lee Tergesen
