Real-life father and daughter Jeff Perry (Scandal) and Zoe Perry (upcoming feature film Cotton) star with Kevin McKidd (Grey's Anatomy) and Mary Mara (Nash Bridges) when Odyssey Theatre Ensemble presents Anna Christie, opening Jan. 24 at the Odyssey Theatre in West L.A. Former Long Wharf associate artistic director Kim Rubinstein directs Eugene O'Neill's 1922 Pulitzer Prize winner.
O'Neill's classic is surprisingly contemporary, crackling with fierce physicality, humor and drama. After a 20-year separation, a coal barge captain is reunited with the daughter he unknowingly abandoned to a life of hardship, a woman with limited choices whose dreams have been shattered. When Anna falls in love with a sailor, certain secrets about her past come to light. The play's trio of iconic characters are an explosive mix, each struggling for salvation. O'Neill presents a realistic and painful exploration of family conflict and the harsh reality of women's lives in the early part of the twentieth century.
"It's kind of spectacular that O'Neill wrote this nearly 95 years ago," says Rubinstein. "It's the story of a strong, independent woman who is a victim of abuse and forced into a life of degradation by her circumstances, and of two men who come to understand and recognize their own culpability in her plight and are transformed by that. It's very passionate, and layers and layers deep."
Anna Christie debuted on Broadway at the Vanderbilt Theatre on November 2, 1921, garnering O'Neill's second of four Pulitzer Prizes. A 1993 Broadway revival by the Roundabout Theatre Company was the recipient of both Tony and Drama Desk Awards for Best Revival, and a 2003 revival at London's
Donmar Warehouse was honored with the Olivier Award. Anna Christie was successfully adapted to the screen three times; the second version starred Greta Garbo and is considered by film critics to be one of Hollywood's finest motion pictures.
Eugene O'Neill (1888-1953) is revered as the father of modern American playwriting and stood as a trailblazer for later artists such as
Tennessee Williams and
Arthur Miller. He brought solemn and serious content into American drama, writing powerful and timeless tragedies with contemporary themes and familiar backgrounds. Unlike any other American playwright before him, O'Neill based his writing on personal relationships, repeatedly turning to his own life for material and transforming his own long-lasting bitterness into art.
Zoe Perry (Anna Christie) recently appeared on Broadway in The Other Place at
Manhattan Theater Club, directed by
Joe Mantello. Other theater credits include Good Television (
Atlantic Theater Company); The Way West and Pot Mom (Steppenwolf Theater); The Lieutenant of Inishmore (
Mark Taper Forum); Peace in Our Time and The Autumn Garden (Antaeus Theater); End Days (Odyssey Theatre); Balm In Gilead (Brooklyn, NY); and Teen Girl (Zephyr Theater). Film: No Pay. Nudity; Cotton; Turkey Bowl; The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond; Deception. Television: Grey's Anatomy; Private Practice; Cold Case; My Boys; Conviction; Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Perry is a graduate of
Northwestern University.
Jeff Perry (Chris Christopherson), perhaps best known as White House chief of staff Cyrus Beene on ABC's Scandal, is a co-founder of Chicago's internationally acclaimed
Steppenwolf Theatre, The School at Steppenwolf, Steppenwolf Classes West and Steppenwolf Films. Jeff previously appeared at the Odyssey in The Receptionist, and he directed last season's hit production of A Steady Rain which subsequently transferred to the
Guthrie Theatre.
Kevin McKidd (Mat Burke) played the lead role in The Silver Darlings,
John McGrath's adaptation of Neil Gunn's famous Scottish novel, at Citizens Theatre in Glasgow, followed by a production of Richard III (as Richmond) with the
Royal Shakespeare Company. He won the
Ian Charleson Award for his performance in the title role in Racine's Britannicus at the Almeida, London and at BAM; was part of the original cast of
Caryl Churchill's Far Away at the Royal Court; and was part of the Young Vic production of 'Tis Pity She's a Whore alongside
Jude Law. He has been part of numerous film and TV projects including
Mike Leigh's Topsy-Turvy,
Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven, 16 Years of Alcohol, HBO's Rome, NBC's Journeyman and, currently,
Shonda Rhimes' Grey's Anatomy for ABC. In 2015 he can be seen in
Tom Stoppard's Tulip Fever directed by Justin Chadwick (Mandela) and produced by
The Weinstein Company.
Mary Mara (Marthy Owen) co-founded Haight-Ashbury Repertory Theatre (HART) in San Francisco. After attending Yale School of Drama, she appeared in Chekov's Ivanov with
William Hurt;
Paula Vogel's And Baby Makes Seven with
Cherry Jones; and the world premiere of
Caryl Churchill's Mad Forest at Manhattan Theatre Club. Mary met
Jeff Perry on Nash Bridges where they played detectives. A veteran of film and television, she recently filmed the feature Paradise, Fl. and was seen on Criminal Minds and Ray Donovan with
James Woods.
Kim Rubinstein was
Long Wharf Theatre's associate artistic director where she directed Guys and Dolls, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Private Lives, Santaland Diaries and The Cocktail Hour. She currently teaches acting and directing at UCSD in San Diego; recent directing credits include Venus in Fur at San Diego Rep (co-directed with
Sam Woodhouse); Savannah Disputation and The American Plan for
The Old Globe; Balm in Gilead, Three Sisters, HotL Baltimore, 1001 and Sexual Selection: Shakespeare and Darwin Ponder Love for UCSD at
La Jolla Playhouse; The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow for Portland Center Stage and San Jose Repertory Theatre; and Much Ado About Nothing and Romeo and Juliet for Shakespeare Santa Cruz. Kim was the associate director of the national tour of Angels in America. Ms. Rubinstein is a recipient of the TCG/NEA Directing Fellowship and was nominated for the
Alan Schneider Directing Award.
Also in the cast are Martin Gutfeldt, Jason Liska and
Tait Ruppert. Set design is by
Wilson Chin; lighting design is by
Michael Gend; costume design is by Raquel Barreto; sound design is by Martin Gutfeldt; assistant directors are Sam Hunter and Shivani Thakkar; and stage manager is Jennifer Palumbo. Beth Hogan produces for
Odyssey Theatre Ensemble,
Ron Sossi, artistic director.
Performances of Anna Christie take place three times a week, on Saturdays at 2 p.m., Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., from Jan. 24 through March 8 (dark Feb. 1). There will be three previews on Jan 17 and Jan. 18 on the same schedule. Tickets to all performances are $34.99; previews are $25; students with valid ID and members of Equity/SAG/AFTRA can purchase tickets for $20 to Saturday matinee performances. The Odyssey Theatre is located at 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West Los Angeles, 90025. For reservations and information, call (310) 477-2055 or go to
www.OdysseyTheatre.com.
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