Westport Country Playhouse Announces Cast For Suspense Thriller MAURITIUS

Westport Country Playhouse announces casting for a Script in Hand playreading of Theresa Rebeck's thriller, "Mauritius," on Monday, March 13, at 7 p.m., directed by the playright herself. The play's title refers to the island of Mauritius (pronounced mr·i·shuhs), the origin of two extremely valuable, rare stamps that incite a conflict to gain their possession.

The cast includes Alyssa May Gold as Jackie (Broadway's "How I Learned to Drive," "Arcadia"; Off-Broadway's "Julius Caesar"; film and television's "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood," "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"); Richard R. Henry as Philip (Westport Country Playhouse's "Room Service," Off-Broadway's "Two Gentlemen of Verona," Yale Rep's "Assassins," Goodspeed's "Oliver," John Leguizamo musical "Kiss My Aztec!"); Greg Keller as Dennis (originated roles in plays by Theresa Rebeck, Clare Barron, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Ayad Akhtar, Sarah Ruhl, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Amy Herzog, Richard Greenberg, Julia Cho, and more); Finnerty Steeves as Mary (Elliot Norton Award for her performance as Ms. Calvin in "The Shape She Makes" at A.R.T.; inmate Beth Hoefler on Netflix's "Orange Is The New Black"); and Elan Zafir as Sterling (regional theater's "God of Carnage," "Twelve Angry Men," "Ragtime," Theresa Rebeck's "Way of the World"; television's "House of Cards," "The Blacklist").

Rebbekah Vega-Romero will read stage directions (Cape Playhouse's "The Fantasticks" as Luisa, Denver Center's "A Christmas Carol," Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre in "West Side Story" as Maria). Megan Smith is production stage manager (many Westport Country Playhouse productions, and Script in Hand and New Works playreadings since 2005).

In "Mauritius," two estranged half-sisters discover, after their mother's death, a book of rare stamps that may include the crown jewel for collectors. One sister tries to collect on the windfall, while the other resists for sentimental reasons. In this riveting tale, a seemingly simple sale becomes dangerous when three seedy, high-stakes collectors enter the sisters' world, willing to do anything to claim the rare find as their own. For full details on the Script in Hand playreading of "Mauritius," visit https://www.westportplayhouse.org/show/script-in-hand-mauritius/

Playwright and director Theresa Rebeck is a widely produced writer for stage, film, television, and novels, whose work can be seen and read throughout the United States and internationally. She is the creator of NBC's "Smash." With four plays produced on Broadway, Rebeck is "the most Broadway-produced female playwright of our time," according to Forbes.

"'Mauritius' is a terrific thriller crackling with suspense and intrigue from the first page to the last," said Mark Shanahan, Script in Hand series curator. Shanahan appeared at Westport Country Playhouse in "Around the World in 80 Days," "Tryst," "Sedition," "David Copperfield," "Journey's End," over 20 Script in Hand playreadings, and directed readings of "Butterflies Are Free," with Blythe Danner and Jonathan Groff, and "The Greatest Gift" by Weston playwright David Wiltse. He is the creator and curator of Westport Country Playhouse Radio Theater and writer/director of the Playhouse radio adaptation "A Merry Little Christmas Carol." New York acting credit includes "The 39 Steps," "Small World," "Checkers," "Tryst," "The Shaughraun," "As Bees in Honey Drown," and "The Internationalist." His directorial work has been seen at Alley Theatre, George Street Playhouse, Virginia Stage, Arkansas Rep, White Heron, Fulton Opera House, Weston Playhouse, Florida Rep, Penguin Rep, Merrimack Rep, The Cape Playhouse, and many more. He has written numerous radio plays for White Heron's Ghost Light Series (featuring Christopher Plummer and Judith Ivey, among others), and is the playwright/adaptor of the Off-Broadway and regional hit comedy, "The Dingdong"; as well as "A Merry Little Christmas Carol"; "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd"; "See Monsters of the Deep," and "A Sherlock Carol," which was nominated as Best Play 2022 by the Off-Broadway Alliance Awards and has played at New World Stages Off-Broadway and at the Marylebone Theatre in London. www.mark-shanahan.net

Tickets are $25. Running time is approximately two hours, including one 15-minute intermission. The play is recommended for mature audiences.

The Script in Hand Playreading Series is supported by Stephen Corman and the White Barn Program of the Lucille Lortel Foundation.

Script in Hand playreadings offer intimate storytelling as professional actors bring the words to life without sets or costumes. For a video on Script in Hand, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2eWDaF-JXA

All dates, times, titles, and artists are subject to change.

Masks are encouraged, but not required. For updates on Covid-19 health and safety protocols at the Playhouse, visit https://www.westportplayhouse.org/visit/covid19safety/

For more information and to buy tickets, visit westportplayhouse.org, or call the box office at (203) 227-4177, toll-free at 1-888-927-7529, or visit Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport.

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