Memorabilia Available

Act One

 

James Lapine will direct his own adaptation of Moss Hart’s classic autobiography which eloquently chronicles the playwright/director’s impoverished childhood and his determined struggle to escape poverty and forge a career in the theater which led to his collaboration with George S. Kaufman and their, culminating with his first great success,Once In A Lifetime. Act One will have sets by Beowolf Boritt, costumes by Jane Greenwood, lighting by Ken Billington, original music by Jeanine Tesori and sound by Daniel Moses Schrier.

 

The Book

---

Act One is an autobiographical book by playwright Moss Hart – The chronicles of Moss Hart’s impoverished New York childhood and his long struggle to Bro in The Bronx and in Sea Gate, Brooklyn.adway success. Hart was born in New York City and grew up in relative poverty with his English-born Jewish immigrant parents in The Bronx.

Early on he had a strong relationship with his Aunt Kate, with whom he later lost contact due to a falling out between her and his parents, and Kate’s weakening mental state. She piqued his interest in the theatre and took him to see performances often. Hart even went so far as to create an “alternate ending” to her life in his book Act One. He writes that she died while he was working on out-of-town tryouts for The Beloved Bandit. Later, Kate became eccentric and then disturbed, vandalizing Hart’s home, writing threatening letters and setting fires backstage during rehearsals for Jubilee. But his relationship with her was formative. He learned that the theater made possible “the art of being somebody else… not a scrawny boy with bad teeth, a funny name… and a mother who was a distant drudge.”

 

Adaptations

---

James Lapine wrote a stage version, commissioned by the Lincoln Center Theater and being developed by the Vineyard Arts Project. A reading was held in July 2012. There was also a workshop in Martha’s Vinyeard in July 16-21, 2012, which featured Tony Shalhoub, Debra Monk, Chuck Cooper and David Turner. The play is expected to premiere on Broadway at the Lincoln Center Vivian Beaumont Theater on April 17, 2014 (previews from March 20), starring Santino Fontana and Tony Shalhoub and directed by Lapine.

 

Cast (2014) Vivian Beaumont Theater

---

Santino Fontana as Moss

Tony Shalhoub as Hart

Andrea Martin as Aunt Kate

Beatrice Kaufman and Frieda Fishbein Chuck Cooper as Wally, Charles Gilpin

Max Siegel and Langston Hughes Bill Army as Eddie and Ensemble Will Brill as Dore

George and Ensemble Laurel Casillo as Ingenue

Nymph Actress, Roz and Ensemble Steven Kaplan as Irving and Ensemble Will Le Bow as Jed Harris Mimi Lieber as Lillie

Helen and Ensemble Charlotte Maier as Phyllis and Ensemble Deborah Offner as Caroline

Mrs. Rosenbloom and Ensemble Matthew Saldivar as Basil Dean

Jerry and Ensemble Matthew Schechter as Mossy

Bernie and Ensemble Bob Stillman as Sam Harris and Ensemble Amy Warren as Mrs. Harris, May and Ensemble

 

Creative

---

Written and Directed by James Lapine

Based on the Autobiography of Moss Hart

Set design by Beowulf Boritt

Costume design by Jane Greenwood

Lighting design by Ken Billington

Sound design by Dan Moses Schreier

Original design by Louis Rosen

 

Run

---

 

Opening & Closing Dates	Type & Version	Theatre
Apr 17, 2014 – Jun 15, 2014	Play / Original	Vivian Beaumont Theatre, New York, NY

 

 

Plays (Moss Harts Work)

---

 

• 1930 Once In A Lifetime (Kaufman and Hart)
• 1934 Merrily We Roll Along (Kaufman and Hart)
• 1936 You Can’t Take It With You (won a Pulitzer Prize) (Kaufman and Hart)
• 1937 I’d Rather Be Right (Kaufman and Hart)
• 1939 The Man Who Came to Dinner (Kaufman and Hart)
• 1940 George Washington Slept Here (Kaufman and Hart)
• 1941 Lady in the Dark, with Kurt Weill and Ira Gershwin
• 1943 Winged Victory
• 1948 Light Up the Sky

 

---

All associated graphics, logos, trader marks, trade names or copyrights are the property of the original owner and are used here for factual and educational purposes only.