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Broadway Gets Diplomatic- Meet the Cast of OSLO!
By: Marissa Sblendorio Apr. 13, 2017
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Following its sold-out Off-Broadway run, Oslo is finally opening on Broadway tonight, April 13th.
Everyone remembers the stunning and iconic moment in 1993 when Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat shook hands on the South Lawn of the White House. They were "two old warriors who personified the conflict between their peoples," wrote The New York Times, "sealing the first agreement between [them] to end their conflict and share the holy land they both call home." But among the many questions that laced the hope of the moment was that of Norway's role. How did such high-profile negotiations come to be held secretly in a castle in the middle of a forest outside Oslo?
Decades later, during the run of LCT's acclaimed 2011 production of Blood and Gifts, director Barlett Sher introduced his friend Terje Rød-Larsen, a Norwegian diplomat, to playwright J.T. Rogers. Over drinks, Larsen shared that he and his wife, Mona Juul, also a Norwegian diplomat and now Norway's Ambassador to the UN, had covertly organized the back-channel talks between the State of Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization that led to the 1993 Oslo Peace Accords - and Rogers knew he had his next play.Meet the cast before they take their opening bows below!
Michael Aranov (Uri Savir) - LCT: Oslo (world premiere), Golden Boy (Belasco Theatre), Blood and Gifts (U.S. premiere). Theater: First Born by Lyle Kessler (world premiere; The Actors Studio), his solo show Manigma (Harold Clurman Theatre), Stanley in A Streetcar Named Desire (Europe), Mauritius (world premiere; Elliot Norton Award), Jean in Miss Julie (Cherry Lane), The Late Henry Moss by Sam Shepard (NY premiere; Signature), Dionysus in The Bacchae 2.1 (Flea Theater), Spain (Lucille Lortel), Edgar in King Lear. Film: The Drop, Amexicano, Lbs., Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Half Magic (upcoming). TV: "The Americans" (three seasons), "Madam Secretary" (recurring), "Quantico," "Reign," "Gun Hill" (series regular), "Elementary," "Person of Interest," "The Good Wife," "Blue Bloods," "White Collar," "Without a Trace," "The Closer" (recurring).
Anthony Azizi (Ahmed Qurie) - LCT: Oslo. Theater: South Pacific Snow (world premiere), Beneath the Veil (Alice Tully Hall, Kennedy Center, Geffen Playhouse), Othello, The Normal Heart, The School for Scandal, Danny and the Deep Blue Sea. Film: AmericanEast with Tony Shalhoub; Septembers of Shiraz; Transformers 3; Priest; Eagle Eye; Charlie Wilson's War; The Lost Battalion; Guns, Girls and Gambling; Tomcats; Three Kings; For Richer or Poorer; McHale's Navy. TV: "Commander in Chief," "Threat Matrix" (series regular); "The Last Ship," "Lost," "American Odyssey," "Sons of Anarchy" (recurring); "Homeland," "The Black List," "CSI," Criminal Minds," "Person of Interest," "24," "Grey's Anatomy," "Madam Secretary," "90210," "Single Ladies," "Desperate Housewives." IG: @itzazizi; Twitter: @anthonyazizi
Adam Dannheisser (Yossi Beilin) - LCT: Oslo, Cymbeline, The Coast of Utopia, Twelfth Night, Contact (Ovation Award nomination; 1st national tour). Broadway: Fiddler on the Roof, Rock of Ages, Proof, The Tempest. Off-Broadway: Henry V, Henry VIII, The Tempest, Macbeth (The Public); The Arabian Nights (BAM); The Blues Are Running (MTC). Regional: Awake and Sing! (Arena Stage), Safe in Hell (Yale Rep), The Provok'd Wife (A.R.T.), Beast on the Moon (Portland Stage). Film: 5 Doctors, Down to Earth, A Price Above Rubies. TV: "Law & Order: SVU," "The Good Wife," "Damages," "Law & Order," "Brotherhood," "Third Watch," "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," "Sex and the City," "Mad About You." Education: M.F.A., NYU.
Jennifer Ehle (Mona Juul) - LCT: Oslo, The Coast of Utopia (Tony Award). Broadway: Design for Living, The Real Thing (Tony, Theatre World awards). Off-Broadway: Mr. & Mrs. Fitch (Second Stage), Macbeth. West End: The Philadelphia Story, The Real Thing, Tartuffe. Royal National Theatre: Summerfolk. Royal Shakespeare Company: Richard III, Painter of Dishonor, The Relapse. Film includes The Professor and the Madman, The Miseducation of Cameron Post, Monster, Wetlands, Little Men, A Quiet Passion, The Greater Good, Advantageous, Fifty Shades of Grey, A Little Chaos, Robocop, Zero Dark Thirty, Contagion, The King's Speech, The Greatest, Before the Rains, Pride and Glory (2007), Michael Clayton, Possession, Sunshine, This Year's Love, Bedrooms and Hallways, Wilde (BAFTA nom.), Paradise Road, Backbeat. TV includes "Fundamentals of Caring," "The Blacklist," "A Gifted Man," "Pride and Prejudice" (BAFTAAward), "The Camomile Lawn."
Daniel Jenkins (Ron Pundak, Jan Egeland) - LCT: Oslo, Golden Boy, Spinning into Butter. Broadway: Billy Elliot, Mary Poppins, Wrong Mountain, Big (Drama Desk nomination), Angels in America, Big River (2003/1985 Tony, DD noms). Recent Off-Broadway: Kid Victory (Vineyard), Travels With My Aunt, Stage Kiss, Paris Commune (Civilians Associate Artist), Sex Lives of Our Parents, Benefactors, Love Child (co-written with Robert Stanton). Regional: Barrington Stage, A.R.T., Arts Emerson, A.C.T. Seattle, Hangar Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Actors Theatre of Louisville (two years). Film: O.C. and Stiggs, "Tanner '88," "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial" (for Robert Altman); Joshua; Cradle Will Rock; Glory; In Country; Five Corners. TV: "Elementary," "Veep," "The Good Wife," "Blue Bloods," various "Law & Order," "Cracker," "Florida Straits," Alex in "Going to Extremes."
Dariush Kashani (Hassan Asfour) - LCT: Oslo. Theater: Veil'd (Women's Project), The Invisible Hand (NYTW), The Happiest Song Plays Last (Second Stage), Homebody/Kabul (dir. Frank Galati/Mark Taper, BAM; dir. Declan Donnellan/NYTW), The Retreating World (Cooper Union, McCarter), East is East (MTC). Film: Eagle Eye, Wasabi Tuna. TV: "Madam Secretary," "Franklin & Bash," "NCIS: Los Angeles," "Medium," "NCIS," "Ghost Whisperer," "CSI," "Drive," "Lost," "24," "JAG," "Without a Trace," "Law & Order," "Law & Order: Criminal Intent." Education: M.F.A., Rutgers University, Mason Gross School of the Arts.
Jeb Kreager (Trond, German husband) - LCT: Oslo. NY theater: The Sister (Dutch Kills), Freedom Club (Connelly Theater), Body Language (The Active Theater), GoldRussianFingerLove (Ontological Theater), The Fab Four Reach the Pearly Gates (P.S.122). Regional includes Actors Theatre of Louisville, Center Stage, Philadelphia Theatre Company, People's Light & Theatre, InterAct Theatre Company (Barrymore Award), Delaware Theatre Company, Walker Arts Center, Children's Theatre Company, Arden Theatre Company, Walnut Street Theatre, 1812 Productions, Theatre Exile. Founding member of the Obie Award-winning New Paradise Laboratories (including 15 original works). Film: Rene, Flogging Margaret, Silly Little Game, Snow. TV: "Outsiders," "Madam Secretary," "Late Night With Seth Myers" (voiceover), "Person of Interest," "Boardwalk Empire," "Flesh and Bone," "Law & Order: SVU," "The Mysteries of Laura," "Unforgettable," "Friends of the People."
Jefferson Mays (Terje Rød-Larsen) - LCT: Oslo, Blood and Gifts. Broadway: The Front Page, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, The Best Man, I Am My Own Wife, Pygmalion, Journey's End, Of Thee I Sing. Off-Broadway: Measure for Measure, Quills, Orestes. Regional: My Fair Lady, Quartermaine's Terms, The Importance of Being Earnest, She Stoops to Conquer, Tartuffe, Hamlet, Miss Julie, Private Lives. Film: Inherent Vice, Alfie, Kinsey, The Notorious Bettie Page, Cousin Bette. TV: "Law & Order: SVU," "The Knick," "The Americans," "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," "The Good Wife," "MildrEd Pierce," "Lie to Me," "Fringe," "Nurse Jackie," "The Closer." Awards: Tony, Drama Desk, Obie, Outer Critics Circle, Helen Hayes, Elliot Norton, Lucille Lortel, Theatre World, Drama League, Jefferson, Helpmann awards.
Christopher McHale (Thor, American Diplomat) - LCT: Oslo, Macbeth, Nikolai and the Others, Golden Boy, King Lear, Joe Turner's Come and Gone. Broadway: Execution of Justice, Julius Caesar, Piaf, The Iceman Cometh. Off-Broadway: The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Julius Caesar, King John, Macbeth, Othello, Richard II (The Public); Domino (NYTW); Lemkin's House (McGinn-Cazale). Regional includes Yale Rep, Shakespeare Theatre of Washington, Hartford Stage, Cincinnati Playhouse, Cleveland Play House, Merrimack Rep, Magic Theatre. Film: The Devil's Own, Sunset Park, F/X, The Seduction of Joe Tynan. TV: "Law & Order: SVU," "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," "New York News," "The Equalizer," "Without a Trace," "Charles & Diana."
Daniel Orskes (Shimon Peres, Yair Hirshfeld) - LCT: Oslo, Cymbeline. Broadway: The Miracle Worker, Billy Elliot, Aida, Electra, The Song of Jacob Zulu. Off-Broadway: Hir by Taylor Mac (Playwrights Horizons); The Revisionist by Jesse Eisenberg (Cherry Lane/Rattlestick); Russian Transport, Terrorism, Roar (The New Group); The Twenty-Seventh Man, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Henry V, Troilus and Cressida, Richard II (The Public); Cellini (Second Stage); Fourth Sister (Vineyard); Mr. Peters' Connections (Signature); Quills, The Devils (NYTW); Missing Marisa (Primary Stages). Film: The Thomas Crown Affair, The Devil's Advocate. TV: "Elementary," "Show Me a Hero," "Blue Bloods," "Madame Secretary," "The Blacklist," "Believe," "Rescue Me," "The Sopranos," "Pan Am," "The Good Wife," "Law & Order," "Third Watch," "Waterfront."
Angela Pierce (German Wife) - LCT: Oslo. Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters include American Airlines Theatre, Studio 54, Circle in the Square, MTC, Second Stage, The Public, The Mint, Roundabout Underground. Regional includes Cleveland Play House, Guthrie, Intiman, Old Globe, Royal Shakespeare Co., Barrington Stage, Bucks County Playhouse, Denver Theatre Center, Shakespeare Theatre Company. Film includes Love and Everything in Between, Delinquent, Touched With Fire, Unburden, HBO's "You Don't Know Jack." TV: "Late Night With Seth Meyers," "Blue Bloods," "Forever," "30 Rock," "Lie to Me," "Private Practice," "Criminal Minds," "Medium," "Law & Order," "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," "Law & Order: SVU." Education: The Juilliard School (The Acting Co. alumna and board member). Awards: Boston Film Festival Best Actress prize. www.angelakpierce.com
Henny Russel (Marianne Holst, Toril Grandal) - LCT: Oslo. Broadway: The Audience, Machinal, The Winslow Boy, The Other Place, Lombardi, The Royal Family, Impressionism, Major Barbara. Off-Broadway: Napoleon in Exile (59E59), Fuddy Meers (Minetta Lane), Boy Gets Girl (MTC). Regional includes Old Globe, Denver Center, Cincinnati Playhouse, Yale Rep, Hartford Stage, Pittsburgh Public, RepTheatre of St. Louis, Cleveland Play House, Merrimack Rep, Barrington Stage, Two River, Indiana Rep, Virginia Stage Co., Paper Mill Playhouse. Film: Bridge of Spies, Freeheld, Growing Up Smith, Kilimanjaro, You Don't Know Jack, Revolutionary Road, Tie a Yellow Ribbon, Loopy. TV: "The Good Fight," "Elementary," "The Leftovers," "Unforgettable," "Law & Order: SVU," "Possible Side Effects," "Law & Order," "Gossip Girl," "Hope & Faith." For my Norwegian mother, Tordis.
Joseph Siravo (Joel Singer) - LCT: Oslo, The Light in the Piazza. Broadway: Conversations With My Father, The Boys From Syracuse. First national tour: Jersey Boys. Off-Broadway: Mad Forest, Up Against the Wind (NYTW); Gemini, Dark Rapture (Second Stage); Piece of My Heart (Signature); Lusting After Pipino's Wife (Primary Stages); The Root (Atlantic); My Night with Reg (The New Group), Dream of a Common Language (Women's Project). Regional: Hamlet (Long Wharf); Antony and Cleopatra (Berkeley Rep); Last of the Boys (McCarter); Three Sisters (Shakespeare Theatre of NJ); Savages (Seattle Rep); Othello, Sweeney Todd, A View From the Bridge (Hangar Theatre). Film: Equity, The Wannabe, Maid in Manhattan, Walking and Talking, Carlito's Way, Thirteen Conversations About One Thing, Things That Hang From Trees (Producer). TV: "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story," "The Sopranos," "Elementary," "The Blacklist," "In Treatment," "Dirty Sexy Money."
T. Ryder Smith (Johan Jorgen Holst, Finn Grandal) - LCT: Oslo, War Horse. Broadway: Equus. Recent theater: world premieres of Fingersmith (A.R.T.); Scenes From Court Life by Sarah Ruhl (Yale Rep), Our Lady of Kibeho by Katori Hall (Playwrights Horizons), Social Security by Christina Masciotti (Bushwick Starr), We Are Pussy Riot by Barbara Hammond (CATF). New York: world premiere productions of Richard Foreman, Anne Washburn, David Greenspan, Sarah Ruhl; Underneath the Lintel (Drama Desk nomination, Outstanding Solo Performance); Lebensraum (DD Award). Regional includes world premieres by Doug Wright, Charles Mee, Tanya Barfield. Film: El Cielo es Azul, Horrible Child, Mindflux, Brainscan. TV: "The Blacklist," "Elementary," "Nurse Jackie," "Damages," "Blue Bloods," "The Abolitionists." Vocal: audiobooks by William Burroughs, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov; the Bioshock videogames; "The Venture Brothers" TV series.
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