From LA
Stagescene.com - 10/10/07
Scott Bakula,
Dennis Boutsikaris, Laurie Metcalf and JoBeth WilliamsStar in Jane Anderson’s
Geffen-Commissioned Production The Quality of Life
As the first Geffen-produced play
in the theater's new commission program, The Quality of Life reunites
multi-award winning actress Laurie Metcalf with Emmy Award-winning writer Jane
Anderson. Seasoned actors Scott Bakula, Dennis Boutsikaris and JoBeth Williams
complete the company of this intimate four-character drama that explores the
relationship of two couples as they are forced to take a stance about morality,
religion, politics and what determines the value of a life.
The first production to appear in the playhouse’s intimate Audrey Skirball Kenis
theater this season, The Quality of Life was written for a space in which the
audience would feel immersed in the action on stage. Without a traditional
proscenium, the Audrey enables the audience to be enveloped into the play’s
literally burnt-out world, which is set in the aftermath of an all-consuming
residential wildfire. Anderson, who is also directing the production, plans to
use the space to reinforce not only the inter-character relationships, but also
the relationship between characters and the audience, both of which are integral
to this work.
"There's a terrible rift in this country between the far right and the far
left,” said writer/director Anderson. “One of the things I hope to achieve with
The Quality of Life is to help the audience recognize that in the face of this
dichotomy of ideals, there's the possibility of finding a common human
connection."
Representing the “far left” in this production is Metcalf in the role of
Jeannette, coupled with Boutsikaris as Jeannette’s husband Neil. Having
previously appeared at the Geffen Playhouse in Anderson’s production of Looking
for Normal, Metcalf was the actress Anderson had in mind while developing this
character. "I consider Laurie to be one of the great actresses of the
American stage,” said Anderson. “She’s a brilliant chameleon and she works from
a place of profound emotional depth. But she also has a wicked sense of humor."
The Quality of Life at The Geffen Playhouse
Metcalf and Boutsikaris are complemented by Bakula and Williams who represent
the “far right,” as Jeannette’s mid-western cousins, Bill and Dinah. With each
character distinct – and vocal – in his or her ideals, Anderson’s production is
a world premiere that urges the audience to question their own world. The
Quality of Life opens on October 10 – appropriately, right in the middle of Los
Angeles’ fire season, and runs until November 18, 2007.
THE QUALITY OF LIFE (World Premiere of a Geffen-Commissioned Play)
Written and Directed by Jane Anderson
October 2 through November 18, 2007
Previews: October 2 to October 9
Opening Night: October 10, 2007
Performance Schedule
Monday No performances
Tuesday – Thursday 8:00pm
Friday 7:30pm
Saturday 3:30pm; 8:00pm
Sunday 2:30pm; 7:30pm
Cast
Scott Bakula Bill
Dennis Boutsikaris Neil
Laurie Metcalf Jeannette
JoBeth Williams Dinah
SCOTT BAKULA (Bill)
BROADWAY: Romance/Romance (Tony nomination), Marilyn an American Fable
(Broadway debut). OFF BROADWAY: Three Guys Naked from the Waist Down.
REGIONAL: Shenandoah, No Strings,
Nite Club Confidential.
TELEVISION: Quantum Leap (Golden
Globe Award, Emmy nomination), Star Trek: Enterprise, The New Adventures of Old
Christine, Designing Women, Murphy Brown, It’s A Girl Thing, The Invaders, Tom
Clancy’s Net Force, Mean Streak, Bachelor’s Baby, Papa’s Angels, What Girls
Learn.
FILM: American Beauty, Cat’s
Don’t Dance, Life as a House, Ghost of a Chance, , Lord of Illusions, Major
League: Back to the Minors, Mi Familia/My Family, Color of Night, A Passion to
Kill, Necessary Roughness, Sibling Rivalry.
DENNIS BOUTSIKARIS (Neil)
BROADWAY: Amadeus (Mozart), Filumena (directed by Sir Laurence Olivier) and
Bent. OFF-BROADWAY: Sight Unseen (Manhattan Theatre Club; OBIE AWARD for
Outstanding Performance & Drama Desk Nomination for Best Actor), Nest of the
Woodgrouse (New York Public Theatre; OBIE AWARD for Outstanding Performance) The
Boys Next Door, That Championship Season (Second Stage), A Picasso
(Picasso-Manhattan Theatre Club), Julius Caesar (Cassius-New York Shakespeare
Festival),
TELEVISION: Chasing the Dragon
(Cable Ace Nomination-Best Supporting Actor), And Then There Was One (Lifetime),
Love & Betrayal: The Mia Farrow Story (Woody Allen).
TELEVISION SERIES REGULARS: Stat,
The Hackie Thomas Show, Sidney Lumet's
100 Centre Street and Six Degrees. FILM: *batteries not included, Dream Team,
Boys on the Side, In Dreams, The Education of Charlie Banks, Calling it Quits
and Crocodile Dundee 2. He is the recipient of two AUDIE Awards for his work in
narrating over 50 audiobooks. He was last seen at the Geffen in David Mamet's
The Old Neighborhood.
LAURIE METCALF (Jeannette)
BROADWAY: My Thing of Love, November (David Mamet World Premier with Nathan
Lane; 2008) REGIONAL: All My Sons (Geffen Playhouse, Ovation Award), Looking for
Normal (Geffen Playhouse, Ovation Award). Laurie is also a member of Chicago’s
Steppenwolf Ensemble Theatre, now in it’s 30th season.
TELEVISION:
Roseanne, The Norm Show, Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy, Monk, Frasier,
Malcom in The Middle, Without a The Quality of Life at The Geffen Playhouse
3/3Trace, Third Rock From the Sun. FILM: Meet the Robinsons, Internal Affairs,
Toy Story, Desperately Seeking Susan, Bulworth, Leaving Las Vegas
JOBETH WILLIAMS (Dinah)
NEW YORK: Moonchildren, Lady House Blues, A Couple of White Chicks, Gardenia.
REGIONAL: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof ,
Idiot’s Delight, Antony and Cleopatra, The Vagina Monologues.
TELEVISION: Payne, John Grisham’s
The Client, Miss Match,
Adam, Baby M, My Name is Bill W, The Ponder Heart. FILM: Kramer vs. Kramer,
Poltergeist, Poltergeist II, The Big Chill, Switch, Stir Crazy, American
Dreamer, Wyatt Earp, Jungle to Jungle.
Production Credits
Scenic Designer Francois-Pierre Couture
Costume Designer Christina Haatainen Jones
Lighting Designer Jason Thompson
Sound Designer Karl Lundeberg
Props Supervisor Ilana Gordon
Production Stage Manager Anna Belle Gilbert
Asst. Stage Manager: Melissa Machat
Tickets ($69 for all performances except Friday and Saturday evenings, which are
$74) are on sale now at the Geffen Playhouse box office, online at
GeffenPlayhouse.com, via credit card phone order at 310.208.5454, at all
Ticketmaster outlets, or by calling Ticketmaster at 213.365.3500.
Student rush tickets are available one hour prior to curtain for $15.
ABOUT THE GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE
Awarded the Preservation Award by the Los Angeles Conservancy, the Award of
Excellence from the Society of American Registered Architects, and the
Architectural Award of Excellence by the Los Angeles Business Council for its
acclaimed 2005, $19 million renovation, the Geffen Playhouse begins its 12th
season in 2007/2008, enjoying its stature as a leading West Coast theater
company and the crown jewel of Los Angeles theater. Noted for its intimacy and
celebrated for its eclectic mix of classic and contemporary plays, provocative
new works and musicals, the Geffen continues to present a body of work that has
garnered national recognition. Named in honor of entertainment mogul and
philanthropist David Geffen, who donated one of the largest gifts ever made to
an already-constructed theater, the company is headed by Producing Director and
President of the Board Gilbert (Gil) Cates, Artistic Director Randall Arney and
Managing Director Stephen Eich, and has produced eight world premieres, four
Tony, four Pulitzer, and seven Obie-award winning shows in its storied 11
seasons. Proudly associated with UCLA, the Geffen welcomes more than 130,000
patrons each year, and maintains an extensive education and outreach program,
designed to engage young people and the community at large in the arts. For more
information, please visit
http://www.geffenplayhouse.com.
© 2007 lasagescene.com
