James Naughton and Joanne Woodward Join Cast of Holiday Show at Westport Country Playhouse

Two-time Tony Award winner James Naughton and Academy Award winner Joanne Woodward have joined the cast of "A Holiday Garland" at Westport Country Playhouse (Joanne Woodward and Anne Keefe, artistic directors, Jodi Schoenbrun Carter, managing director). Staged December 13 - 21, the production will feature holiday songs, funny stories, poignant readings, jokes and poems compiled to celebrate the season and enchant the family. Performances are Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 4 and 8 p.m.; Sundays, 3 p.m.

Devised by Eileen Atkins (co-creator "Upstairs, Downstairs") and John Tillinger (director, Westport Country Playhouse productions of "Time of My Life" and "Relatively Speaking") and directed by Tillinger, "A Holiday Garland" will feature seven performers. Other cast members will be announced soon.

From Broadway and regional theater to television and films, James Naughton has won critical acclaim as an actor, singer and director. He is the winner of two Tony Awards as Best Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of media-savvy lawyer Billy Flynn in the Broadway hit "Chicago" (1997) and for his role as a film-noir era detective in "City of Angels" (1990), which also earned him a Drama Desk Award. He met with equal success in the debut of his first solo theatrical concert, "James Naughton: Street of Dreams," which was presented by Mike Nichols at the Promenade Theatre in 1999, and for which he won the MAC Award for Best Male Vocalist. It also was presented at Westport Country Playhouse in 1999.

After touring the country with "Street of Dreams," he followed with two new shows at the legendary Café Carlyle in 2002 and 2003, won the first ever Night Life Award, and recorded his debut album, "It's About Time," on DRG Records. He spent the 2004-5 season on Broadway as ex-Chancellor Willy Brandt in Michael Frayn's "Democracy." While pursuing his acting and singing careers, Naughton also directed the 2003 Broadway production of Thornton Wilder's classic "Our Town," which originated at Westport Country Playhouse and brought Paul Newman back to the stage for the first time since the of 1960s. Naughton subsequently directed "Our Town" for television, and it was presented in 2003 on Showtime and PBS's "Masterpiece Theatre."

A graduate of Brown University and the Yale School of Drama, Naughton made his New York debut as Edmund in Arvin Brown's production of "Long Day's Journey into Night," with Robert Ryan and Geraldine Fitzgerald, winning immediate recognition with Theatre World, New York Drama Critics and Vernon Rice Awards. His other Broadway credits include "I Love My Wife," John Guare's "Four Baboons Adoring the Sun" and "Whose Life Is It Anyway?" Naughton's recent film credits include "Factory Girl," "Suburban Girl" and "Childless," as well as "The Good Mother," opposite Diane Keaton; "The Glass Menagerie" with Joanne Woodward; "The Paper Chase," "First Kid," "Cat's Eye," "A Stranger Is Watching," "Second Wind" and "Labor Pains." He has appeared in many television movies and starred in numerous network series, including "Who's the Boss?," "Making the Grade," "Planet of the Apes," "Faraday and Co.," "Brooklyn Bridge," "The Cosby Mysteries" and "Ally McBeal," as the title character's father. Naughton lives in Weston.

Joanne Woodward is currently artistic director of Westport Country Playhouse, following six previous seasons as artistic director (2000-2005). For Westport Country Playhouse, she directed "The Member of the Wedding," "The Constant Wife" and "Three Days of Rain," and co-directed with Anne Keefe "David Copperfield." She appeared on the Playhouse stage in "Love Letters," "Ancestral Voices," "Come Be My Love" and a reading of "Arsenic and Old Lace."

Considered among the premiere actors in America today, Ms. Woodward's most recent work in films include "Philadelphia," directed by Jonathan Demme and "The Age of Innocence," directed by Martin Scorsese. She is an Academy Award winner for "The Three Faces of Eve." She received Emmy nominations for her work in "Breathing Lessons" (Hallmark Hall of Fame) co-starring James Garner; "Blindspot" (Executive Producer, Hallmark Hall of Fame) co-starring Fritz Weaver and Laura Linney; and "Foreign Affairs" (TBS) co-starring Brian Dennehy. She won a Golden Globe Award for her performance in "Breathing Lessons." In addition, she received a N.Y. Critics Award and Oscar nomination for "Mr. and Mrs. Bridge," co-starring her husband, Paul Newman, directed by James Ivory. Mr. Newman directed her in the film, "The Glass Menagerie," co-starring John Malkovich. Ms. Woodward performed in "Arsenic and Old Lace," directed by John Tillinger at Long Wharf Theatre in 1994, marking her return to Long Wharf where she appeared as Amanda in "The Glass Menagerie," directed by Nikos Psacharopolous and in "Love Letters," directed by John Tillinger. Other theatre projects include Mrs. Alving in Ibsen's "Ghosts," adapted and directed by Michael Cristofer at the Bearsville Theatre, and "Sweet Bird of Youth," directed by Nikos Psacharopolous in Toronto.

Ms. Woodward has also directed theatre productions of "Velvet Elvis" by Matthew Carnahan; "The Depot" by Eve Ensler; "La Ronde" by Arthur Schnitzle; as well as films for AFI, Public Television and Network Television. She produced and narrated a documentary on the Group Theatre, "Broadway Dreamers," for Public Television. During the summer of 1996, Ms. Woodward directed "Rocket to the Moon" at the Williamstown Theatre Festival starring Marisa Tomei and Reg Rogers, and performed the role of Judith Bliss in Noel Coward's "Hay Fever" at the Berkshire Theatre Festival. In April 1997, Ms. Woodward directed "Waiting for Lefty" for the Blue Light Theatre Company. In August 1997, she directed "La Ronde" and in 1998 Odets' "The Big Knife" at the Williamstown Theatre Festival.

Ms. Woodward received a BA from Sarah Lawrence College. A native of Thomasville, Georgia, her professional training began at The Neighborhood Playhouse under Sanford Meisner and Wynn Handman, and later, with Robert Lewis. She is a member of the Actors Studio in New York. Ms. Woodward resides in Westport.

Celebrating its 78th season, the venerable Westport Country Playhouse (Joanne Woodward and Anne Keefe, Artistic Directors; Jodi Schoenbrun Carter, Managing Director) is creating innovative new works and dynamic revivals. The Playhouse has produced more than 700 plays, 36 of which later transferred to Broadway including "Come Back, Little Sheba" with Shirley Booth; "The Trip to Bountiful" with Lillian Gish; "Butterflies Are Free" with Keir Dullea and Blythe Danner; "Absurd Person Singular" with Sandy Dennis, Geraldine Page and Tony Roberts; and "Our Town" with Paul Newman. The list of actors, directors, and other theatre artists who have worked and continue to perform on the Playhouse's legendary stage reads like a "Who's Who" of the American theatre. Following a multi-million dollar renovation completed in 2005, the Playhouse now produces year-round, welcoming 85,000 audience members annually. In addition to a full season of theatrical productions, the Playhouse presents educational programming and workshops; a children's theatre series; symposiums; music; films; and readings of short fiction, classical works and new plays. Westport Country Playhouse serves as a treasured home for the theatrical arts, its audiences and its artists. For the State of Connecticut, it is a true cultural landmark. Your experience begins at www.westportplayhouse.org. The Playhouse is a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization.

"A Holiday Garland" is recommended for ages 12 and up. Tickets are $45, $35, $25; children under 18 are $15. Groups of 10 or more save up to 30% off the regular ticket price. For group sales information call (203) 227-5137, x120.

For reservations or more information, call the box office at (203) 227-4177, or toll-free at 1-888-927-7529, or visit 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport. Information about the Playhouse is also available at www.westportplayhouse.org.

 

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