Melanie Jones Joins Cast of THE LITTLE FLOWER OF EAST ORANGE, 11/12-12/19

Former artistic director of Little Fish Theatre Melanie Jones has joined the cast of The Little Flower of East Orange by Stephen Adly Guirgis, it was announced today by Elephant artistic director David Fofi. Ms. Jones replaces the previously announced Katherine Helmond, who has left the production due to prior contractual obligations. Opening night is set for Friday, November 12, and The Little Flower of East Orange will play a strictly limited engagement through December 19.

Said Fofi, "Losing Katherine was devastating news for us, but we couldn't be more thrilled that Melanie, a highly accomplished and respected actress, was available to step in so we could accommodate Katherine's unexpected schedule shift."

Melanie Jones began her professional career at age 16 with the Hartford Stage Company. A graduate oF Brown University, she acted and directed for 10 seasons at Trinity Rep in Providence, RI. While artistic director of Little Fish Theatre in San Pedro, she appeared in productions of The School for Scandal, Hay Fever, Deathtrap, and Tooth and Nail. Directed by Fofi, and along with Jones, the cast of The Little Flower of East Orange features Michael Friedman, and (in alphabetical order) Mark Adair-Rios, LeShay Tomlinson Boyce, Kim Estes, Alejandro Furth, Kate Huffman, Timothy McNeil, Marisa O'Brien, Tom Stanczyk, and Tim Starks. The production design is by Joel Daavid, costume design is by Louis Douglas Jacobs, and sound design is by Matt Richter. Shannon Simonds is the production stage manager, and Little Flower is being produced for the Elephant by Lindsay Allbaugh and Tara Norris. Executive producer is Greg Borrud.

The Little Flower tale begins as Therese Marie (Jones) arrives in the emergency room of a small hospital in the Bronx. The nurses and doctors assume she is just another faceless charity case; abandoned, elderly and unable to even tell them her name. But Therese Marie's dementia is
not all that it seems and when her prodigal son Danny returns to New York, Therese Marie must fight to maintain her dignity as he imposes upon her the ugly secrets of their past. In this inter-generational ghost story, we observe a searing portrait of a mother and son who must face a long family legacy of abuse in order to find the true meaning of grace. The Little Flower of East Orange is part of the recently announced Elephant Theatre Company/LAByrinth Theater Company partnership.

Opening night is set for Friday, November 12 at 8:00. Seats are available to the public for that performance at $40, which includes a reception with the cast following the show. The regular running schedule is Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 7pm through December 19 only. All tickets for regular performances are $25 and $30. To purchase tickets, call (877) 369-9112 or reserve online: www.elephanttheatrecompany.com. Also, visit the Elephant on Facebook and follow us on twitter @ElephantTheatre.

The Lillian Theatre is located at 1076 N. Lillian Way (one block west of Vine, just off Santa Monica Boulevard), in Hollywood. Street parking is available.

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