Melanie Griffith to Play 'Mrs. Robinson' in THE GRADUATE at Laguna Playhouse

Laguna Playhouse announced today that Academy Award nominee Melanie Griffith will star as Mrs. Robinson in their upcoming production of THE GRADUATE, adapted by Terry Johnson, based on the novel by Charles Webb and the screenplay by Buck Henry and Calder Willingham and directed by Ovation Award-winner Michael Matthews.

Executive Director Ellen Richard comments, "We are just thrilled to welcome Melanie Griffith to the Laguna Playhouse in one of the most iconic roles of all time - Mrs. Robinson."

Adds Artistic Director Ann E. Wareham. "We have been trying to seduce Melanie to perform on our stage for quite some time. We are overjoyed that she has said yes and know our subscribers and audiences will be utterly enraptured by her return to the stage under the inspired direction of Michael Matthews!"

THE GRADUATE will perform as part of the Laguna Playhouse's 2017-2018 Season from October 4 through October 22, 2017 at the Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Drive in Laguna Beach.

Melanie Griffith received an Academy Award nomination, a BAFTA nomination and won a Golden Globe award for her memorable role as Tess McGill in Mike Nichol's smash hit "Working Girl." In 2003, she made her Broadway musical debut in Chicago as the fame-hungry Roxie Hart, impressing critics and audiences alike.

Griffith's performance opposite Liev Schreiber, John Malkovich and James Cromwell in the HBO movie "RKO 281" earned her both an Emmy and Golden Globe nomination. She received rave reviews for her performances in the following films - "Crazy in Alabama," directed by Antonio Banderas, Larry Clark's "Another Day in Paradise," and Woody Allen's "Celebrity," opposite Kenneth Branagh. She also provided the voice of 'Margalo' in Sony's family hit, "Stuart Little 2." Griffith has collaborated with some of the film industry's most important directors. Her career began at age sixteen in Arthur Penn's "Night Moves." She then appeared in the murder mystery "The Drowning Pool" starring Paul Newman, gained attention as a starlet who holds the missing piece to the murder puzzle in Brian De Palma's "Body Double," and then co-starred in Jonathan Demme's off-beat comedy-drama "Something Wild." She received Golden Globe nominations for her roles in both "Body Double" and "Something Wild." She went on to star in Mike Figgis' stylish film noir "Stormy Monday "with Tommy Lee Jones and Sting, Robert Redford's "The Milagro Beanfield War," and John Schlesinger's psychological thriller "Pacific Heights" opposite Michael Keaton and Mattew Modine. Reteaming with director Brian De Palma, she starred with Tom Hanks and Bruce Willis in "Bonfire of the Vanities," before joining Michael Douglas and Liam Neeson in the World War II espionage romance "Shining Through." After starring in "Paradise" with Don Johnson, Griffith followed with Sidney Lumet's police drama "A Stranger Among Us," a remake of Garson Kanin's Born Yesterday, and Robert Benton's "Nobody's Fool" opposite Paul Newman. Her other film credits include Richard Benjamin's charming comedy "Milk Money" opposite Ed Harris, a cameo role in "Now and Then," Fernando Trueba's "Two Much," starring Antonio Banderas and Daryl Hannah, Lee Tamahori's "Mulholland Falls" with Nick Nolte, Adrian Lyne's controversial film "Lolita," John Waters' "Cecil B. Demented," the crime thriller "Tempo, Shade" opposite Sylvester Stallone and Gabriel Byrne, Suri Krishnamma's "Dark Tourist," and "Automata."

On television, Griffith starred in the comedy "Twins," opposite Sara Gilbert. She also starred in the mini-series "Buffalo Girls," which earned her a Golden Globe nomination, and starred with James Woods in the HBO film "Women & Men: Hills Like White Elephants." She also appeared in the casino drama "Viva Laughlin." Griffith's other TV credits include a guest star on the TV comedy series "Raising Hope," USA network's TV movie "Call Me Crazy," CBS' "Hawaii 5-0," and Hulu's "The Path."

In 2001, Griffith was honored with a Special Festival Award for her body of work at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2014, Melanie was honored with the Taormina Arte Award in Taormina, Italy. Her most recent on-screen credits include the independent feature "Day Out of Days," for writer/director Zoe Cassavetes, as well as the Hallmark feature "JL Ranch" with Jon Voight. She will next be seen in "The Disaster Artist" with James Franco and Seth Rogen, which just premiered at SXSW, and "Dabka" with Evan Peters and Al Pacino.

Subscriptions to our 2017-2018 - 97th season are now available by calling the Box Office at 949-497-2787 (ARTS) or online at www.lagunaplayhouse.com. 7-Play Season Tickets range from $254 - $394.

Single Tickets will range from $40 - $85 and can be purchased online at www.lagunaplayhouse.com or by calling (949) 497-ARTS (2787). Group discounts are available by calling 949-497-2787 ext. 229.

The box office is open Mondays - Saturdays: 12p.m. to 5 p.m. (open until showtime on performance days); Sundays: 11a.m. - 4p.m.

For more information on all shows and programming visit www.lagunaplayhouse.com. Laguna Playhouse is located at 606 Laguna Canyon Road in Laguna Beach.

Founded in 1920, the historic Laguna Playhouse is one of the oldest continuously-operating not-for-profit theatres on the West Coast and is proud to be an active participant in the celebrated Laguna Beach arts community. From classic plays and musical comedies to the current off-Broadway smash, cutting edge and traditional music exhibitions, dance festivals and stand-up comedy performances, Laguna Playhouse brings the magical experience of the performing arts direct to over 80,000 patrons each season.

Laguna Playhouse educational programming includes year-round classes, productions by and for children and teens (Youth Theatre) and is one of the few companies in the region that offer a curriculum-based professional theatre-touring program, TheatreReach, which aligns with the California State Standards for literature, history and performing arts curriculum.

Laguna Playhouse has been recognized in 2016 and 2015 as one of Orange County Register's "Best of OC" in the category of Live Theatre, and has been recognized by OC Hotlist in their "Best Theatre Group" winning first place in 2017 and 2016. The Laguna Playhouse has featured many talented performers on stage, including Ed Asner, Leslie Caron, Hershey Felder, Harrison Ford, Val Kilmer, Gregory Harrison, Dan Lauria, Hal Linden, Wendie Malick, Rita Rudner, Charles Shaughnessy, French Stewart, Loretta Swit, and Bette Davis.