CACTUS FLOWER Equity Principal Audition - West Side Arts Theatre Auditions

CACTUS FLOWER – Equity Principal Auditions

Exec Prod: Daryl Roth Productions $730/week minimum, plus pension/health.

Playwright: Abe Burrows

Based on the play “Fleur de Cactus” by Pierre Barillet and Jean-Pierre Grédy

Dir: Michael Bush

CD: Stephanie Klapper Casting

1st reh: 1/24/11. 1st preview: 2/22. Opens 3/8 for open-ended run at West Side Arts Theatre (Upstairs).

Equity Principal Auditions:

Thursday, January 13, 2011 Actors' Equity Association Audition Center

9:30 AM - 5:30 PM 165 West 46th Street, 2nd Floor

Lunch from 1:30 – 2:30. New York City

Sides will be provided at the audition. Please bring a picture & resume, stapled back-to-back.

Classic 1965 Broadway comedy ran for three years and subsequently became a successful film. Story of Julian Winston, a handsome, middle-aged Park Avenue dentist and bachelor, who has told his much younger girlfriend Toni that he is married, in order to not make a commitment to her. Convinced that Julian won’t leave his wife and kids for her, Toni attempts a lame suicide, only to be saved by her younger neighbor Igor when he smells gas and breaks into her apartment. When Julian discovers that Toni tried to kill herself over him, he suddenly decides to marry Toni and tells her that his fictional wife also wants a divorce. Toni demands to meet her in order to make sure that she agrees to the divorce. Julian then gets his"old maid" nurse Stephanie, who is secretly in love with him, to pose as his wife, and the comedy ensues. What follows is a farcical collection of misunderstandings, lies and unexpected romance as Stephanie ... the Cactus Flower ... begins to bloom.

Seeking (all listed roles/tracks are available (i.e. not yet offered and accepted)):

Casting Director’s note: “ALL ACTORS MUST BE SMART AND FACILE COMEDIC ACTORS”.

Toni:

AVAILABLE ROLE. Early - mid 20s. Girlish, attractive. Free-spirited, full of life, wide-eyed and kooky, with a spine of steel and the strength of her convictions. Has an offbeat and quirky sense of humor, with always the best intentions in mind. Sensitive to others’ feelings, and values honesty. Works at The Village LP Record Shop, in Greenwich Village. Gives love with her full heart, and means well. Empowered by the freedom of the time (1960s), independent and strong. Should be an adorable comedic presence, immediately likable. Should be petite – 5’5” and below.

Dr. Julian Winston:

AVAILABLE ROLE. 40s - late 50s. Dashing, womanizing, immensely likable. Great, natural comic presence. Dentist who is a clear generation too old for Toni – old enough to be “inappropriate”. Always likable and charming, but a pathological liar – he still is a real catch. Loves his freedom, but has fallen head-over-heels in love with Toni.

Botticelli’s Springtime:

AVAILABLE ROLE. Early 20s. Voluptuous, gum-chewing actress wannabe who is most likely from Brooklyn or Queens. Fantastic role for a natural comedienne. A bit lower class. Combination of Miss Adelaide and Marilyn Monroe. Actress in this role will also cover Toni.

Understudy for Harvey Greenfield / Igor:

AVAILABLE TRACK. One actor covers both. Harvey: Mid 30s - late 40s. Julian’s patient and contemporary. Crude and sometimes disheveled out-of-work actor. Identifies himself by his one “famous” laundry detergent commercial. Believes that he is a ladies’ man, even though that’s more in his imagination than based in reality. His humor is that of a Catskills comic. Igor: Mid - late 20s. Athletic, handsome struggling writer. Toni’s always-dependable next-door neighbor. Part beatnik, part hippie and an always-positive person. Once served in the Army; now supported by his privileged family. Kind, caring and looking after Toni’s best interests – even though she is clueless about his attraction to her. Very live-in-the-moment kind of guy. Live-for-today free spirit.

Understudy for Stephanie Dickinson / Mrs. Dixon Durant:

AVAILABLE TRACK. One actress covers both. Stephanie: Early 40s. Career nurse in Dr. Winston’s office. In love with him, and does anything she can to make his life run smoothly and easily in the office. Can appear “prickly”. After office hours is her time. Straitlaced and orderly, with solid 1950s morals … but also spirited, sexy and a force to be reckoned with when circumstances dictate. In her new-found freedom, she is like a cactus flower that blooms unexpectedly and lushly. Mrs. Durant: Early 50s. Patient of Dr. Winston. Society matron. Chronically late. Time is for other people, and it does not seem applicable to her. Believes that her hair is more important than her teeth; thus, she must hurry to get to her hair-dresser appointment.

Understudy for Julian Winston / Senor Arturo Sanchez:

AVAILABLE TRACK. One actor covers both. See above for Julian’s description. Sanchez: South American, 40s-50. Patient of Dr. Winston. Well-dressed. Determined; won’t take “no” for an answer from an attractive woman. Works for the United Nations. Speaks fairly good English, with a Spanish accent. Uses his “Latin Lover” quality only when necessary to get what he wants. Julian convinces him to be the fake boyfriend of Stephanie.