Kyra Sedgwick, Len Cariou to Lead IN THE CAR WITH BLOSSOM AND LEN Reading at Ripley Grier Studios, 12/16

Kyra Sedgwick and Len Cariou will star in a reading of Joni Fritz's "In The Car With Blossom And Len" December 16th at Ripley Grier Studios in New York City.

Directed by Tony nominee, Lynne Taylor-Corbett, the reading is an industry only invite. Others in the cast include Jane Gabbert, Emily Jon Mitchell and Claire Neumann.

In In The Car With Blossom And Len, Len is a little crazy. Blossom is a little confused. And their adult daughters, named after plants, are polar opposites. Add to this one colossal family crisis, a meltdown or two, mix generously-and you have In The Car With Blossom And Len-a funny and thought-provoking play about growing old and growing up-not necessarily in that order.

This is the story of what can happen in our own lives. With modern medicine allowing us to live longer, we may recognize ourselves, our own families or friends-whether through one of the characters, the caregiving situation-or the black cloud of fear that one day we forget where we put the keys-and tomorrow we'll forget who we are. The paly play's unique brand of comedy has bite, truth and lasting resonance.

Kyra Sedgwick: Although she started out on a daytime soap as a teen, Sedgwick made her name in films playing a variety of smart, sassy and usually supporting characters. By the mid-1980s, she was working consistently both on screen and on the stage. In 1996, she took her first job behind the camera as a producer for hubby Kevin Bacon's directorial debut, Losing Chase. Sedgwick attempted to transition to television with the failed sitcom Talk to Me, but at 40 she gave the tube a second try as a prickly but effective deputy police chief on TNT's The Closer. The gamble paid off, and she landed a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in June 2009 and became a perennial awards-season contender. Off screen she maintains a low-key persona with her husband and their children.

Len Cariou is a distinguished member of the Theatre Hall of Fame and a three-time Tony nominee, for Applause, A Little Night Music, and for his legendary performance as Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, (Tony award-winner, Best Actor). His other Broadway credits include Nightwatch, Cold Storage, Teddy & Alice, Dance a Little Closer, The Speed of Darkness, Neil Simon's The Dinner Party, and Proof. Showing his range, he toured the U.S. as Cap'n Andy in Showboat, and as Nils Bohr in Copenhagen. He scored his most recent triumph in The Gate Theatre's definitive, hit production of "All My Sons," in Dublin, Ireland, reprising his role as Joe Keller, which he also won raves for at the Geffen Theatre in Los Angeles in 2007. In addition, he was recently lauded for his performance as Richard Nixon in Frost/Nixon at the Vancouver Playhouse and Canadian Stage. In 2008 he directed a production of Glengarry Glen Ross (Manitoba Theatre Centre) which sold out it's mid-winter run despite outside temperatures of 40 below zero.

His classical stage repertoire is far ranging, encompassing the title roles in Oedipus the King, Macbeth, Cyrano, Coriolanus, and two productions of King Lear, as well as Iago, Petruchio, Prospero and many others. Off-Broadway, he is proud of his work as Ernest Hemingway in Papa, William O. Douglas in Mountain, and Joseph Stalin in Master Class. Regionally, he has starred in a multitude of productions at theatres throughout North America, including The Kennedy Centre, The Mark Taper Forum, The Manitoba Theatre Centre, The Stratford Shakespeare Festivals in both Ontario and Connecticut, The Guthrie Theatre, Long Wharf Theatre and The Old Globe. He is a former Artistic Director of the Manitoba Theatre Centre, and former Associate Director of the Guthrie Theatre.

Several feature films include the popular The Four Seasons, Executive Decision, Thirteen Days, and About Schmidt with Jack Nicholson, as well as Secret Window with Johnny Depp, Flags of Our Fathers, and 1408.He was awarded a Genie, Canada's Oscar, for Best Actor in the film One Man.

On television, Mr. Cariou currently stars as Henry Reagan (Tom Selleck's father) on the hit CBS series "Blue Bloods." He spent two seasons as powerhouse political appointee Judd Fitzgerald in the Showtime series "Brotherhood" with Dublin's own Fionnula Flanagan. He has guest starred on CSI:Las Vegas, The Practice, West Wing, Law & Order, The Outer Limits,Swift Justice, and Murder She Wrote, to name only a few. Myriad TV movies include Surviving, Man in the Attic, Who Will Save Our Children, There Were Times Dear (PBS), Miracle on Route 880, Killer in the Mirror, HallMark Hall of Fame's The Summer of Ben Tyler, Nuremberg (TNT) and as Franklin Roosevelt in HBO's Into the Storm.

Mr. Cariou is known for his voice-over work in commercials, books-on-tape and film, especially on The Jonestown Flood which won an Academy Award, and as Harry Bosch in Michael Connolly's well-known novels.

Photo Credit: Orchon / Retna Digital