Cynthia Nixon Thrilled For Opportunity To Direct The New Group's STEVE

Cynthia Nixon has been a favorite on Broadway and off ever since, at age 18, she appeared simultaneously in the Mike Nichols-directed Broadway productions of THE REAL THING and HURLYBURLY, scooting her way from the Barrymore to the Plymouth and back again eight times a week.

After finding national fame as Miranda Hobbes on TV's SEX AND THE CITY, she remains a frequently appearing face on New York stages, winning a 2006 Tony Award for David Lindsay-Abaire's RABBIT HOLE.

Nixon made her directorial debut last season with The New Group's production of Joel Drake Johnson's provocative drama of race relations, RASHEEDA SPEAKING, starring Tonya Pinkins and Dianne Wiest.

""I've been wanting to direct for 25 years but I was always scared to try," she says. "New Group Artistic Director Scott Elliott gave me such an incredible opportunity, and so much support and guidance."

Previews begin November 3rd for The New Group's mounting of Nixon's second directorial effort, Mark Gerrard's STEVE.

"(Scott Elliott) came back to me and said 'I've got another one for you' and gave me the script of STEVE. I thrilled to it right away. It's incredibly funny, incredibly witty. I was brought up on Shakespeare and musical comedy. Every reference these guys make lives in me too."

As described on The New Group's website, Steven, a failed Broadway chorus boy turned stay-at-home dad, celebrates yet another birthday, finding himself filled with fear and uncertainty. Is Stephen, his partner of 14 years, cheating on him? Why is one of his best friends dying of cancer? And what, exactly, has he done with his life? A sad and funny portrait of a group of longtime, theater-loving friends as they navigate the many facets of midlife and mortality, Mark Gerrard's Steve is a biting and bittersweet comedy about relationships and the unavoidable consequences of aging and the passage of time.

The cast of STEVE includes Ashlie Atkinson, Mario Cantone, Jerry Dixon, Francisco Pryor Garat, Malcolm Gets and Matt McGrath.

Visit thenewgroup.org.

Photo by Erik Carter