Fred Melamed Leaves Cast of RELATIVELY SPEAKING

The world premiere of three one-act comedies, together entitled RELATIVELY SPEAKING, about mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, parents and children, written by four-time Oscar winner Ethan Coen (True Grit, Fargo), two-time Oscar nominee Elaine May (Heaven Can Wait, The Birdcage) and Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris), is currently in previews at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre.

According to the NY Times, Fred Melamed, who starred in Coen's Talking Cure, left the show after Sunday's matinee. Melamed  told the NYT that he would leave the show to 'fulfill a commitment for Sacha Baron Cohen's new movie, "The Dictator," as well as pursue another movie opportunity.'

He continued: "We kind of weren't together on the character. "There were things Ethan wanted that I didn't like, that seemed to take the character in a direction that felt artificial. Stuff I couldn't really make sense of. I don't think it was the sort of stuff that I would get fired over. But when my film work began calling for me to take more days off away from the play, we all amicably decided to part ways."

"I have very affectionate feelings for Ethan and great respect for him as a writer, and all of that stayed intact." 

Click here the read the full article. The production released an official statement as well noting that "Fred Melamed left the Broadway production of Relatively Speaking for another project that had too many conflicts to work out with the production schedule of the play. The opening night of Relatively Speaking remains on schedule for October 20."

In RELATIVELY SPEAKING each one-act comedy springs from a different branch of the family tree.

The cast of Talking Cure, in which Ethan Coen uncovers the sort of insanity that can come only from family, features Katherine Borowitz, Danny Hoch, Jason Kravits.

The cast of George is Dead, in which Elaine May explores the hilarity of death, features Lisa Emery, Fred Melamed, Patricia O'Connell, Grant Shaud, Marlo Thomas.

The cast of Honeymoon Motel, in which Woody Allen invites you to the sort of wedding day you won't forget, features Caroline Aaron, Bill Army, Ari Graynor, Steve Guttenberg, Danny Hoch, Julie Kavner, Jason Kravits, Richard Libertini, Mark Linn-Baker, Grant Shaud.

For tickets and more information, visit www.relativelyspeakingbroadway.com.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/WM Photos