Wilbury Theatre Group Kicks Off 2025 With THE FATHER

Wilbury Theatre Group has announced the cast and creative team for the professional Rhode Island premiere of The Father: A Tragic Farce by Florian Zeller, translated by Christopher Hampton. Directed by Wilbury Group Artistic Director Josh Short, the production features Jeff Ararat, Jeanine Kane, Tanya Anderson Martin, Gabrielle McCauley, Martin Novogrodski and Richard Donelly as André and runs January 23 - February 9, 2025.

Now 80 years old, André was once a tap dancer. He lives with his daughter, Anne, and her husband, Antoine. Or was André an engineer, whose daughter Anne lives in London with her new lover, Pierre? The thing is, he is still wearing his pajamas, and he can't find his watch. He is starting to wonder if he's losing control. Winner of the Molière award for France's best play, The Father - brilliantly told with humor and empathy - treats audiences to a heart-wrenching glimpse into despair from the loss of self.

The Father debuted as a French-language play in 2012 and has been staged in over 45 countries. It was adapted for film in 2020 and starred Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Coleman. The Los Angeles Times calls The Father, "Adventurous in its format...puts the audience in the position of the memory-impaired. Logic fails, time bends, eyes play tricks...This is the clever framing of The Father: It brings the viewer inside André's mind as it unravels."

"We are so fortunate to have the great Richard Donelly and this amazing cast come together to bring this touching and complex story to our audiences," said Wilbury Theatre Group's Artistic Director, Josh Short. "When Richard brought it to me I was struck by how it so beautifully brings to the stage this universal experience. This is the most poignant play about the changing relationships between children and their parents as they grow older, and what we hold onto the tightest, once everything else starts to fade away. We can't wait to share it with you."

The Wilbury Theatre Group production of THE FATHER: A TRAGIC FARCE is directed by Josh Short, with sound + light design by Andy Russ, scenic design by Monica Shinn, costume design by Dustin Thomas, technical direction by Dave Carney, assistant direction by Jeff Ginsberg, stage management by Allison Marchetti, assistant stage management by Kerin Hagan and Lauren Kieler, costume assistance by Arianna Davey, and production assistance by Calder Ray-Fearon.

This production is made possible thanks to generous support of The Florence Family Foundation, and audience members like you! Learn more at thewilburygroup.org/the-father.

About the Artists

Florian Zeller (Playwright) is a French novelist, playwright, screenwriter, and film director. He won the prestigious Prix Interallié in 2004 for his novel "Fascination of Evil," and several Molière Awards for his plays LA MÈRE ("The Mother"), LE PÈRE ("The Father"), and LE FILS ("The Son"), finishing his family trilogy. L'AUTRE, LE MANÈGE, SI TU MOURAIS, ELLE T'ATTEND, LA VÉRITÉ ("The Truth"), LE MENSONGE ("The Lie"), and UNE HEURE DE TRANQUILLITÉ were successfully produced in France and internationally. L'ENVERS DU DÉCOR was produced in Paris in 2016, starring Daniel Auteuil. AVANT DE S'ENVOLER ("The Height of the Storm") was in the same season. It later opened at the Wyndham's Theatre in October 2018, starring Jonathan Pryce and Eileen Atkins and directed by Jonathan Kent, before reaching New York's MTC Friedman Theatre in September 2019. LE PÈRE was nominated for Best New Play at the 2016 Olivier Awards, and Kenneth Cranham won Best Actor. It received a 2016 Tony Award nomination for Best Play, and Frank Langella won the Tony for Best Performance by an Actor. This play has been performed in over 45 countries and turned into a movie written with Christopher Hampton and directed by Florian Zeller, starring Olivia Colman and Anthony Hopkins. Zeller's play THE SON was produced in Paris in 2018. It was first performed at the Kiln Theatre before reaching the Duke of York's Theatre in August 2019. THE MOTHER had its New York premiere at Atlantic Theatre Company, starring Isabelle Huppert, in February 2019. Christopher Hampton has translated most of Florian's plays, which have received many international awards. Florian Zeller lives in Paris. He is married to the actress and sculptor Marine Delterme. Florian Zeller is represented internationally by Drama Literary Agency. www.dramaparis.com

Christopher Hampton's (Translator) plays and musicals have so far garnered four Tony Awards, three Olivier Awards, four Evening Standard Awards, and the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award; prizes for his film and television work include an Oscar, two BAFTAs, a Writers' Guild of America Award, the Prix Italia, a Special Jury Award at the Cannes Film Festival, Hollywood Screenwriter of the Year, and The Collateral Award at the Venice Film Festival for Best Literary Adaptation. Original plays: APPOMATTOX, THE TALKING CURE, WHITE CHAMELEON, TALES FROM HOLLYWOOD, TREATS, SAVAGES, THE PHILANTHROPIST, TOTAL ECLIPSE, and WHEN DID YOU LAST SEE MY MOTHER? Adaptations from novels: YOUTH WITHOUT GOD (Horváth), EMBERS (Márai), and LES LIASONS DANGEREUSES (Laclos). Musicals: STEPHEN WARD, DRACULA: THE MUSICAL, and SUNSET BOULEVARD. Libretti: APPTOMATTOX, THE TRIAL, and WAITING FOR THE BARBARIANS (all for Philip Glass).
Translations include plays by Chekhov, Ibsen, Molière, Horváth, Yasmina Reza, and Florian Zeller. Film includes: "Ali and Nino," "A Dangerous Method," "Chéri," "Atonement," "The Quiet American," "Dangerous Liaisons," "The Good Father," "The Honorary Consul," "Total Eclipse," "Mary Reilly," "Tales From The Vienna Woods," and "A Doll's House." He wrote and directed "Imagining Argentina," "The Secret Agent," and "Carrington." Television includes: "The Thirteenth Tale," "The Ginger Tree," "Hôtel Du Lac," "The History Man," and "Able's Will."

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