Christine Lahti to Star in West Coast Premiere of 'Third'
By: BWW News Desk Feb. 21, 2007
Christine Lahti will star in the West Coast premiere of Wendy Wasserstein's final play, Third, presented at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles from September 11th through October 28th, 2007.
The production's director is not yet confirmed. Lahti will play "Laurie Jameson, a professor at a prestigious New England university who is convinced she has her 3rd generation, jock student pegged. When he turns in a brilliant paper she pursues a case of plagiarism, bringing to light her own prejudices. Set in the uncertain months surrounding America's launch of the second Gulf War in Iraq, Third discovers hypocrisy where you least expect it - in the heart and mind of a modern, female, politically correct educator," state press materials.
"Christine Lahti has a long history with Wendy Wasserstein, as this is her 'third' portrayal of the playwright's female protagonists. Lahti first played the role of Heidi Holland on Broadway for nearly four months in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play The Heidi Chronicles, and also starred in Lifetime Channel's An American Daughter, based on Wasserstein's critically acclaimed play.
For the past 20 years, Wendy Wasserstein's plays have helped define feminism for the American Theater, creating strong intellectual heroines in the modern world. Dying of cancer at the age of 55, Wasserstein left an indelible catalog including The Sisters Rosenweig, Isn't It Romantic, An American Daughter, Old Money, and The Heidi Chronicles, which was honored with the Tony Award for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama."
"Wendy Wasserstein is one of the most important voices for women of our generation. The last time we spoke I told her how powerful I felt Third was," says Lahti. "I'm honored to have another opportunity to portray one of Wendy's complex heroines."
In addition to Third, the Geffen Playhouse also previously announced the World premiere production of The Best is Yet to Come: The Music of Cy Coleman as part of its 2007/2008 season. In the vain of celebrating songwriter as storyteller, Cy Coleman's music speak for itself in this elegant revue devised by Larry Gelbart and David Zippel. The Best is Yet to Come features hits from the composer's ballads to his bop, from his showstarters to his showstoppers.
Lahti is an Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winner for her work on "Chicago Hope." The Heidi Chronicles, Present Laughter, Scenes and Revelations, Division Street and Loose Ends (Circle in the Square). Off-Broadway credits include Three Hotels (for which she received a Drama Desk nomination) and Little Murders (for which she won an Obie Award). Regional work includes Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Summer and Smoke, A Moon for the Misbegotten and Love Letters. Film work includes Leaving Normal, The Doctor, Funny About Love," Gross Anatomy, Running on Empty (Los Angeles Film Critic's Award; Golden Globe Nomination), and Housekeeping, while TV films include "No Place Like Home" (Golden Globe winner and Emmy Nomination), "An American Daughter" (Lifetime; Golden Globe Nomination), "The Ellie Nessler Story" (USA Network), "Women Vs. Men" (Showtime), and "Out Of The Ashes" (Showtime). She has directed the films My First Mister and Lieberman in Love (Academy Award-winner for Live Action Short Film).
Subscriptions to the 2007-2008 season are now available for purchase online at www.GeffenPlayhouse.com, in person at the Geffen Playhouse Box Office, or by calling Subscriber Services at (310) 209-1328. Single tickets go on sale July 1, 2007, and may be purchased at the Geffen Playhouse Box Office or by phone at (310) 208-5454, by calling www.Ticketmaster at ( 213) 365-3500, at all Ticketmaster outlets (Robinsons May and Ritmo Latino locations), or online at www.GeffenPlayhouse.com. For general information or to request a brochure, please call (310) 208-5454.
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