FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE

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Jenni Benzaquen

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Geffen Playhouse

(310) 208-6500, ext. 126

jenni@geffenplayhouse.com

TONY AWARD-NOMINEE VALARIE PETTIFORD REPLACES MEGAN MULLALLY IN

GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE’S PRODUCTION OF

“HE HUNTS”

CAROL KANE AND STEPHEN NICHOLS ALSO JOIN THE CAST

LOS ANGELES, CA – April 1, 2002 – Geffen Playhouse’s Producing Director Gil Cates announces casting changes for the Geffen’s production of He Hunts, a new translation and adaptation by Philip Littell of Georges Feydeau’s Monsieur Chasse!, directed by David Schweizer. Due to irreconcilable scheduling conflicts, Megan Mullally will not be performing the role of Leontine Duchotel in He Hunts. Valarie Pettiford, a Tony Award-nominee for Fosse, will step into the role. Other recent additions to the He Hunts cast include Carol Kane (Taxi, The Princess Bride) and Stephen Nichols (General Hospital, Days of Our Lives). He Hunts runs April 9-May 19, 2002.

“We are happy to welcome Valarie, Stephen and Carol to the cast of He Hunts and are pleased that they are making their Geffen debut in this delightful production,” comments Gil Cates.

Best friends, wives and lovers collide in He Hunts, a tale of mistaken identities and sexual intrigue. In this classic French farce, Leontine Duchotel (Valarie Pettiford) becomes convinced her husband’s (Maxwell Caulfield) long-standing hunting trips are secretive trysts. When he sets out on another “trip,” she rendezvous with a lover of her own, Moricet (Stephen Nichols), at an apartment next door to where her husband, coincidentally, is preparing to meet his mistress.

Valarie Pettiford (Leontine) was nominated for a Tony Award for her work in Fosse and most recently appeared in Reprise’s Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Other theater work includes roles as Velma in Chicago in London, as Julie in Show Boat in Los Angeles (NAACP Theater Award), in Bob Fosse’s national tour of Dancin’ and Summer and Smoke at Yale Repertory Theatre. Valarie’s television work includes The West Wing, The District, X-Files, Frasier and three years on One Life to Live.

Stephen Nichols (Moricet) has received three Dramalogue and two L.A. Weekly Theater Awards for his work. He most recently appeared in The Dead Boy at Laurelgrove Theater, starred as Jim Morrison in The Lizard King, appeared at the Canon Theater in Love Letters and The Cage at Los Angeles Theatre Center. He was an Emmy Award-nominee for his role as Steve Johnson on television’s Days of Our Lives and starred as Stefan Cassadine on General Hospital. His television appearances include roles on L.A. Law, Diagnostic Murder, Sisters, Murder She Wrote, The Nanny and the miniseries Around the World in 80 Days.

Carol Kane (Madame Latour) is a two-time Emmy Award-winner for her work on television’s Taxi, was nominated for an Emmy for her role on Chicago Hope and was an Academy Award-nominee for Hester Street. She has appeared in numerous films including Man on the Moon, When a Stranger Calls, The Princess Bride, Annie Hall and Dog Day Afternoon. Her theater work includes WASP and Other Plays (Public Theatre), Macbeth and The Tempest (Lincoln Center) and Effects of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (Broadway). She most recently appeared onstage with Gene Wilder in Don’t Make Me Laugh.

The full cast of He Hunts includes (in alphabetical order): Maxwell Caulfield (Duchotel), Paul Ellis (Cop), V. J. Foster (Cassecul), Cathy Lind Hayes (Babet), Carol Kane (Madame Latour), Daniel Kucan (Gontreins), Alan Mandell (Bridois), Stephen Nichols (Moricet), Valarie Pettiford (Leontine Duchotel) and Robert Porch (Cop).

The He Hunts creative team includes Chris Barreca (Scenic Design), David Zinn (Costume Design), Anne Militello (Lighting Design), Peter Golub (Original Music), Jonathan Burke (Sound Designer), George Boyd (Stage Manager) and Amy Levinson Millán (Dramaturg).

Geffen Playhouse is headed by Producing Director Gilbert Cates, Artistic Director Randall Arney and Managing Director Stephen Eich.

The fifth and final production of the Geffen’s season will be Neil Simon’s Oscar and Felix, A New Look at “The Odd Couple” and will run from June 11, 2002 – July 21, 2002 with an official press opening on June 19, 2002.

He Hunts plays at Geffen Playhouse, located at 10886 Le Conte Avenue in Westwood. Tickets can be purchased directly at the Geffen box office or by calling the box office at 310-208-5454. Ticket prices range from $28 to $46. The performance schedule is Tuesdays - Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.; Fridays at 8:00 p.m.; Saturdays at 4:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.; and Sundays at 2:00 and 7:00 p.m. Visit the Geffen Playhouse website at www.geffenplayhouse.com. Geffen Playhouse gratefully acknowledges the generous sponsorship of AT&T for this production.

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