Shows & Tickets
THREE STAGE “VETERANS” FIND A COMMON ENEMY: GROWING OLD
RICHARD BENJAMIN, LEN CARIOU, AND GEORGE SEGAL STAR IN THE AMERICAN PREMIERE OF HEROES AT THE GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE
Thea Sharrock Directs the 2006 Laurence Olivier Award-winning Comedy Written by Gérald Sibleyras and Translated by Oscar-winner Tom Stoppard
April 10, 2007 through May 27, 2007; Opening night is April 18, 2007
LOS ANGELES, March 15, 2007 — What do you get when you mix nostalgia, camaraderie and old War wounds with a bit of curmudgeonry? Tears and laughter as Richard Benjamin (Philippe), Len Cariou (Henri), and George Segal (Gustave) trade jabs and barbs all while enhancing their fraternity as three decorated soldiers growing old in a Parisian Veterans home set in 1959. Tom Stoppard translated Heroes from Gérald Sibleyras’ play Le Vent des Peupliers, and Thea Sharrock directs the American Premiere at the Geffen Playhouse from April 10 to May 27, 2007. Opening night is set for April 18, 2007.
Heroes is a funny, heart-warming tale that proves there’s strength in numbers especially when Gustave is grumpy and agoraphobic, Henri is complaisant and lame, and Philippe is unaffected with constant fainting spells… but at least they have their wits about them. Two World Wars have passed and growing old has its limitations for the three who share not only the same terrace but a certain disdain for a fearsome Sister Madeleine and a peculiar 200 pound stone dog, which according to Gustave makes them a “quartet.” The 2006 Olivier Award-winner for Best New Comedy is a moving portrait of loyalty with a few insults thrown in between.
Thea Sharrock also directed the Heroes’ London premiere productionat Wyndham Theatre which starred Richard Griffiths, John Hurt, and Ken Stott (October 2005). Sharrock recently gained worldwide attention with her revival production of the critically acclaimed Equus featuring a defining role for Harry Potter’s own Daniel Radcliffe.
GÉRALD SIBLEYRAS (Playwright) Acclaimed playwright Gérald Sibleyras was born in 1961 in Paris and is finishing his current play Le Banc during 2007/2008. His most notable work is the 2003 Le Vent des Peupliers, which has been translated and produced in countries worldwide including the United Kingdom, Germany, Uruguay and now the United States. The play premiered at the Théâtre Montparnasse and received four Molières nominations including Meilleur Auteur (Best Author). Tom Stoppard translated the play into English (Heroes) and it received its London debut at the Wyndham Theater under the direction of Thea Sharrock. The production won the 2006 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy. Future translations and productions are planned for Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Finland, and many others. His next play L’Inscription was produced in 2004 in Paris and later in Poland. La Danse de L’Albatros premiered in Paris in 2006. It has been the hit of the season starring Pierre Arditi with future productions planned in Belgium, Canada and Italy. Une Heure et Demie de Retard (2005) adapted by Mel Smith, has been produced in England, and toured for several months. In 2003 Un Petit Jeu Sans Conséquence (Consequences) was awarded 5 Molières Awards. Focus Films is preparing a remake of the French movie. Gérald Sibleyras adapted William Nicholson’s The Retreat From Moscow (La Retraite de Russie), produced in Paris in January 2007, Daniel Keyes’ Flowers for Algernon, and Mike Leigh’s Abigail’s Party. He is currently adapting his play La Danse de L'Albatros for the silver screen (2007/2008).
TOM STOPPARD (Translation)Born in Czechoslovakia, Stoppard came to London via a childhood spent in Singapore and India. He began his career as a journalist writing for the Western Daily Press in Bristol, and then for the Bristol Evening World. He is the author of the stage plays Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (1967) followed by Enter a Free Man, The Real Inspector Hound, After Magritte, Dogg’s Our Pet, Jumpers, Travesties, Dirty Linen and Newfoundland, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (with Andre Previn), Night and Day, The Real Thing, Hapgood, Artist Descending a Staircase (adapted from his radio play), Arcadia, Indian Ink (stage version of In The Native State), The Invention of Love, The Coast of Utopia (a trilogy including “Voyage”, Shipwreck” and “Salvage”) and Rock’n’Roll. His plays have won four Tony Awards, eight London Evening Standard Awards and an Olivier Award. His Radio plays include The Dissolution of Dominic Boot, M is for Moon Among Other Things, If You’re Glad I’ll be Frank, Albert’s Bridge (winner of Prix Italia), Where Are They Now?, Artist Descending a Staircase, The Dog It Was That Died, and In The Native State. His translations and adaptations include Undiscovered Country (Schnitzler), Dalliance (Schitzler), On The Razzle (Nestroy), Rough Crossing (Molnar), The Seagull (Chekhov), Henry IV (Pirandello) and Heroes (Sibleryas). His work for television features A Separate Peace, Teeth, Another Moon Called Earth, The Boundary (co-written by Clive Exton), Professional Foul, and Squaring the Circle. Stoppard has also developed scripts for the following films: The Romantic Englishwoman, Despair, Human Factor, Brazil (co-writer), Empire of the Sun, The Russia House, Billy Bathgate, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (writer/director; Winner of the Best Film, Venice Film Festival); Shakespeare in Love (co-written with Marc Norman; Academy Award Winner for Best Screen Play) and Enigma. Considering his incredible catalogue of work, Stoppard received a Knighthood in 1997 and the Order of Merit in 2000. He has been on the Board of the Royal National Theatre and is currently Chairman of the London Library, and a member of the Board of The Donmar Warehouse Theatre. Stoppard also holds honorary degrees from Bristol, Brunel, Leeds, Sussex, London, Kenyon College, York, Hull, and Yale.
THEA SHARROCK (Director)Thea’s most recent production, Equus, starring Daniel Radcliffe, is currently playing at the Gielgud Theatre, London. Voyage Round My Father ran recently at the Donmar Warehouse and Heroes ran at the Wyndham Theatre to great acclaim. Thea was the Artistic Director of Southwark Playhouse for three years. She trained at the Anna Scher Theatre and Market Theatre Johannesburg. Thea is currently the Artistic Director for The Gate Theatre. Recent credits include: Private Lives, Don Juan, Blithe Spirit and Betrayal (Bath Theatre Royal). Previous credits include: Tejas Verdes (The Gate) A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen (Southwark Playhouse), The Deep Blue Sea by Terrence Rattigan (Bath Theatre Royal), The Fight for Barbara by DH Lawrence (The Peter Hall Season, Bath Theatre Royal), Mongoose by Peter Harness (Southwark Playhouse), Trip’s Cinch by Phyllis Nagy (Southwark Playhouse), Free by Simon Bowen (Loft, NT), Top Girls by Caryl Churchill (BAC, UK tours, Aldwych West End), The Sleepers Den by Peter Gill, (Southwark Playhouse) and as Associate Director, Art by Yasmina Reza (West End and UK Tour) and Betrayal by Harold Pinter and Design for Living by Noel Coward (The Peter Hall Season, Bath Theatre Royal). Thea was the recipient of the James Menzies-Kitchin Memorial Trust’s Young Director of the Year Award 2000 for which she directed Top Girls at the BAC.
Richard Benjamin (Philippe) BROADWAY: The Star Spangled Girl (Plymouth Theatre; Theatre World Award); The Little Black Book (Helen Hayes Theater); and The Norman Conquests Trilogy: Table Manners; Living Together; Round and Round the Garden (Morosco Theatre). OFF BROADWAY: Power Plays (Promenade Theatre). NATIONAL COMPANY: Barefoot in the Park and The Odd Couple. INTERNATIONAL/REGIONAL: Taming of the Shrew (New York Shakespeare Festival); Love Letters (Canon Theater/Beverly Hills); Barefoot in the Park (director, Piccadilly Theatre, London). FILMS: Goodbye, Columbus; Diary of a Mad Housewife (Golden Globe Nomination); Catch-22; The Sunshine Boys (Golden Globe Award); Westworld; The Last of Sheila; Portnoy's Complaint; The Steagle; The Marriage of a Young Stockbroker; Love at First Bite; House Calls; Deconstructing Harry; The Last Married Couple in America; Scavenger Hunt; How to Beat the High Cost of Living; First Family; Keeping Up With The Steins. DIRECTOR: My Favorite Year; Racing With The Moon; City Heat; The Money Pit; Mermaids; Milk Money; Made in America; Downtown; My Stepmother is an Alien; Little Nikita; Mrs. Winterbourne; The Goodbye Girl (actor/director); The Shrink Is In; The Pentagon Wars (actor/director); Laughter on the 23rd Floor; A Little Thing Called Murder; The Sports Pages; Tourist Trap. TELEVISION: He & She (Series regular; Emmy Nomination); Quark (Series regular); Saturday Night Live; Fame; Packin’ It In; Mad About You; Ink; Titus.
Len Cariou (Henri) BROADWAY: Proof; The Dinner Party; Sweeney Todd (Tony Award; Drama Desk Award); ); A Little Night Music (Tony Nomination); Applause (Tony Nomination, Theatre World Award); Nightwatch; Cold Storage; Teddy and Alice; Dance A Little Closer; The Speed of Darkness; Henry V (Theatre World Award). OFF BROADWAY: Mountain; Papa; Master Class; A Sorrow Beyond Dreams; Master Class; Day Six; Up From Paradise; Measure for Measure. GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE: All My Sons; Rose and Walsh. REGIONAL: Title roles in Coriolanus; King Lear; Cyrano de Bergerac; Oedipus The King; Henry V and Macbeth. Also The Dresser, Taming of the Shrew; The Tempest; Julius Caesar; Arms and the Man; Mahagonny; Death of a Salesman; Skin of our Teeth; As You Like It; Orestia; Sgt. Musgrave’s Dance; Twelfth Night; Of Mice and Men; The Crucible; Much Ado About Nothing; Three Sisters, Himself; Traveler in the Dark; Another Time; Equus; Mother Courage; Mr. Roberts. Former Artistic Director, Manitoba Theatre Centre; Former Associate Director, Guthrie Theatre. NATIONAL TOURS: Showboat, Copenhagen FILM: One Man (Genie Award); 1408; Boynton Beach Club; Flags of Our Fathers; Thirteen Days; About Schmidt; Secret Window; The Greatest Game Ever Played; The Four Seasons; Executive Decision; Lady in White. TELEVISION: Brotherhood (recurring); CSI Las Vegas; Murder, She Wrote (recurring); Swift Justice (series regular); Law & Order; The Outer Limits; The Practice; West Wing; Surviving; Who’ll Save The Children; There Were Times, Dear; Miracle on Route 880; Killer in the Mirror; The Dan Jansen Story; The Summer of Ben Tyler (Hallmark Hall of Fame); and Nuremberg (TNT). VOICEWORK: Academy Award winning narration, The Jonestown Flood; many books on tape including nine in a series of the Harry Bosch books by Michael Connelly; narrations for MLB and NHL; numerous commercials. ACHIEVEMENTS: Member of the Theatre Hall of Fame; Order of Manitoba; Queen’s Jubilee medal; Honorary Doctorates from University of Windsor and University of Winnipeg.
George Segal (Gustave) BROADWAY: Gideon (Plymouth Theatre); Rattle of a Simple Man (Booth Theatre); Requiem for a Heavyweight (Martin Beck Theatre); and Art (Royale Theatre). LONDON: Art (Wyndham’s Theatre). OFF-BROADWAY: The Iceman Cometh (Circle in the Square); Leave it to Jane (Sheridan Square Playhouse); The Premise (The Premise); and The Knack (The New Theater). FILM: The Young Doctors; The Longest Day; Act One; The New Interns; Invitation to a Gunfighter; Ship of Fools; King Rat; Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Academy Award and Golden Globe Nominations); Lost Command; The Quiller Memorandum; St. Valentine’s Day Massacre; No Way To Treat A Lady (BAFTA Film Award Nomination); Bye Bye, Braverman; The Southern Star; The Bridge at Remagen; Loving; The Owl and the Pussycat; Where’s Poppa?; Born To Win; The Hot Rock; Blume in Love; A Touch of Class (Golden Globe Award Winner); California Split; Russian Roulette, The Terminal Man; The Black Bird; The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox; Rollercoaster; Fun with Dick and Jane; Who is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe; Lost and Found; The Last Married Couple in America; Carbon Copy; Pablo Picasso: The Legacy of a Genius, Stick; The Endless Game; Look Who’s Talking; For the Boys; An Army of One; Direct Hit; The Babysitter; It’s My Party; Flirting with Disaster; To Die For; Cable Guy; The Mirror Has Two Faces; and Heights. TELEVISION: Death of a Salesman; Of Mice and Men; The Desperate Hours; The Lie; The Deadly Game (ACE Award nomination); Trackdown: Finding The Goodbar Killer; The Cold Room; Zany Adventures of Robin Hood; Circus of the Stars; Not My Kid; Many Happy Returns; Take Five (series regular); Murphy’s Law (series regular); Taking the Heat; Burke’s Law; Murder She Wrote; The Winter Garden; High Tide (series regular); Following Her Heart; Tracy Takes On…; Just Shoot Me (series regular; two Golden Globe Awards Nominations); Houdini; Law & Order: SVU; and The War at Home.
ABOUT THE GEFFEN PLAYHOUSEAwarded 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 11th season in 2006/2007, 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 geffenplayhouse.com.
EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:Geffen Playhouse10886 Le Conte Avenue, Los Angeles (Westwood), CA 90024
HEROES (American premiere) By Gérald SibleyrasTranslated by Tom StoppardDirected by Thea SharrockShow runs April 10—May 27, 2007Opening Night: April 18, 2007Previews: April 10 – April 17, 2007Sign Interpreted: Sunday, April 29, 2007 at 2:00 p.m.Media sponsors: Classical KUSC, Indie 103.1, KCET-TV and KCRW-FM
CastRichard Benjamin PhilippeLen Cariou HenriGeorge Segal Gustave
Production CreditsDesign By: Robert JonesLighting Designer: Howard HarrisonSound Designer: Jonathan BurkeProduction Stage Manager: Mary Michele MinerAssistant Stage Manager: Susie Walsh
Tickets ($35 to $69) 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 (Robinsons May and Ritmo Latino locations), or by calling Ticketmaster at 213.365.3500. Performances are Tuesdays through 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 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Adult rush ($35) and student rush ($15) tickets are available 10 minutes prior to curtain. For general information or to request a brochure, call 310.208.5454, or visit GeffenPlayhouse.com.
