Boyd Gaines Joins Debra Monk in James Lapine's MRS. MILLER DOES HER THING at Signature Theatre

Tony Award-winner Boyd Gaines (Gypsy, Contact, and She Loves Me) is set to star opposite Emmy and Tony Award-winner Debra Monk (Curtains, ABC's Grey's Anatomy and NYPD Blue) in the world premiere of Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing written and directed by Pulitzer Prize winner James Lapine (Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods).

Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing is based on the real-life story of Elva Miller, who gained notoriety as an unlikely pop phenomenon in the 1960s for her renditions of "Downtown," "Monday, Monday," "A Hard Day's Night," and more.

Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing will run February 28 - March 26 in Signature Theatre's MAX Theatre. Further casting and creative team members will be announced in the coming weeks.

"I am beyond thrilled to be working with Debra Monk and Boyd Gaines on my play Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing," said director and playwright James Lapine. "This is a show that touches on a period of time (the late 1960's) that we three lived through. Their roles will offer these extraordinary actors an opportunity to demonstrate the full range of their gifts as well as bring their own personal experiences to their performances."

"I've always been a big fan of James Lapine, and when he received the 2015 Stephen Sondheim Award, we spoke about his upcoming projects and coming to Signature," said Signature Theatre Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer, "so I am thrilled that we are producing the world premiere of his newest work Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing. With Debra Monk starring along with Boyd Gaines, this new comedy promises to be a wonderful evening of theater."

Debra Monk and Boyd Gaines will star as Mrs. and Mr. Miller in Mr. Lapine's newest play. They last appeared together in the 1995 Roundabout Theatre revival of Company. Debra Monk is a five time Tony Award-nominee and winner for her performance in Lanford Wilson's play Redwood Curtain. Her other stage work includes twelve Broadway productions including Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Curtains, and Steel Pier as well as the Off-Broadway productions of Assassins and The Time of the Cuckoo. Outside of her extensive stage work, Ms. Monk is also an Emmy Award winner (NYPD Blue) who has appeared in numerous films and television shows, including Devil's Advocate, The Savages, and Bridges of Madison County, as well as Grey's Anatomy, Mozart in the Jungle and Mercy Street.

Boyd Gaines is a four-time Tony Award winner and five-time nominee. He is one of only five Broadway performers to have been nominated for all four Tony performance awards. Mr. Gaines won the Tony Award for his performances in The Heidi Chronicles, She Loves Me, Contact and Gypsy. His considerable film and television credits include Funny Games, I'm Not Rappaport, and Fame, as well as One Day at a Time, L.A. Law and The Good Wife.

Recipient of the 2009 Regional Theatre Tony Award, Signature Theatre is a non-profit professional theater company in Arlington, Virginia dedicated to producing contemporary musicals and plays, reinventing classic musicals, and developing new work. Under the leadership of co-founder and Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer and Managing Director Maggie Boland, Signature has presented 44 world premiere productions and is renowned for combining Broadway-quality productions with intimate playing spaces.

In addition to hosting the finest talent from the DC metropolitan area and New York, Signature has been home to such luminaries as Chita Rivera, Sheryl Crow, Barry Levinson, George Hearn, Hunter Foster, Emily Skinner, Kathleen Marshall, Ann Reinking, Marc Kudisch, Judy Kuhn, John Kander and Fred Ebb, Cameron Mackintosh, Terrence McNally, Tom Kitt & Brian Yorkey, and the company's signature composer, Stephen Sondheim. Since its founding in 1989, Signature has won 97 Helen Hayes Awards for excellence in the Washington, DC region's professional theater and has been honored with 386 nominations. For more information, visit www.sigtheatre.org.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride