Dennehy & Reuben in 'Tusculum' at The Public, Begins 2/19

The Public Theater will open its spring season with the world premiere of Richard Nelson's new history play Conversations in Tusculum.Directed by Nelson, the cast of six includes Brian Dennehy, Joe Grifasi, Gloria Reuben, David Strathairn and Maria Tucci. 

Conversations in Tusculum begins previews on Tuesday, February 19 and will run through Sunday, March 23 with an official press opening on Tuesday, March 11 at 7 PM.  Single tickets go on sale to the general public on February 3, 2008 but member tickets are available beginning Friday, December 7.

"The country you love and the values it represents are being destroyed by a misguided leader. You can continue to live in relative comfort by not involving yourself, or you can take action to save the democracy you love. Set outside of Rome in the villas and hillsides of Tusculum, Richard Nelson continues his revelatory exploration of history with a new play that chronicles those entangled in Julius Caesar's world of manipulation and power," explain press notes.

The cast of Conversations in Tusculum includes Brian Dennehy as Cicero, Joe Grifasi as Syrus, Gloria Reuben as Porcia, David Strathairn as Cassius, and Maria Tucci as Servilia.

Conversations in Tusculum will begin previews on Tuesday, February 19 and run through Sunday, March 23 with an official press opening on Tuesday, March 11 at 7 PM.  The performance schedule is Tuesdays at 7 PM; Wednesdays thru Fridays at 8 PM; Saturdays at 2 PM and 8 PM; and Sundays at 3 PM and 7 PM. 

The Public Theater is located at 425 Lafayette Street.  Tickets are $50 with student tickets available in advance, at the box office only, for $25 (1 per ID).  There are a limited number of Rush Tickets sold an hour before curtain at every performance available to the general public (Two per person, $20 each, cash only). 

To purchase tickets, please call (212) 967-7555 or visit www.publictheater.org.

Richard Nelson (Playwright/Director) is the recipient of a Tony Award, two other Tony nominations, an Olivier Award for Best Play, another Olivier nomination for Best Comedy, Two Obie Awards, the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, a Lortel Award, Time Out/London Award for Best Play, Two Giles Cooper Awards for Best Radio Plays, a Lila Wallace-Readers Digest Writing Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, among others.  His plays includes Frank's Home, Rodney's Wife, Franny's Way, Madame Melville, Goodnight Children Everywhere, The General From America, Left, New England, Misha's Party (with Alexander Gelman),  Columbus and The Discovery of Japan, Two Shakespearean Actors, Some Americans Abroad, Principia Scriptoraie, The Vennia Notes, among many others.  Musicals include Paradise Found (with Hal Prince, Ellen Fitzhugh, Jonathan Tunick), My Life With Albertine (with Ricky Ian Gordon) and The Dead (with Shaun Davey). His translations and adaptations include Chekhov's Three Sisters, The Seagull, The Cherry Orchard, The Wood Demon, Strindberg's Miss Julie and The Father, Carriere's The Controversy of Valladollid, Pirandello's Enrico IV, and Tynan (adapted from Kenneth Tynan's Diaries).  He wrote the screenplay for the Miramax film, Ethan Frome, and has directed many of his plays on Broadway, off Broadway, in the West End and in theaters across the country. He is an Honorary Artistic Associate of the Royal Shakespeare Company, which has produced 10 of his plays.

Brian Dennehy (Retna, Ltd); Gloria Reuben (Walter McBride / Retna, Ltd)