Looped: Valerie Harper to return to Broadway

Valerie Harper will return to Broadway this spring in Matthew Lombardo's new comedy Looped, directed by Rob Ruggiero, opening at the Lyceum Theatre on 14 Mar 2010, following previews from 19 Feb 2010.

Looped tells the story of Tallulah Bankhead, the internationally celebrated actress, being called into a sound studio in 1965 to re-record (or "loop") one line of dialogue for what would be her last film -- the dreadful Die, Die My Darling.

The creative team for Looped includes set designer Adrian W. Jones, costume designer William Ivey Long, lighting designer Ken Billington and sound designer Michael Hooker/Peter Fitzgerald.

Four time Emmy winner Valerie Harper ('Rhoda,' 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show'), returns to Broadway where she last starred in Charles Busch's 'The Tale of the Allergist's Wife.' She also starred in that show's first national tour, as well as in the tour of William Gibson's acclaimed one-woman play, 'Golda's Balcony,' winner of the 2006 Touring Broadway Award. Other Broadway credits include 'Ovid's Metamorphoses,' 'Paul Sills' Story Theatre,' 'Something Different,' 'Subways are for Sleeping,' 'Wildcat' and 'Take Me Along.' She originated the role of Tallulah in the world premiere production of Looped at the Pasadena Playhouse and reprised the role at the Cuillo Centre and at Arena Stage. On TV, she achieved worldwide acclaim playing Rhoda Morgenstern on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "Rhoda," earning four Emmys and a Golden Globe Award, She starred in the NBC series 'Valerie,' as well as in CBS' 'The Office,' and 'City' and in the feature films 'Blame it on Rio,' Neil Simon's 'Chapter Two,' 'Freebie and the Bean' and 'The Last Married Couple in America.'

Playwright Matthew Lombardo is the author of 'Tea at Five,' the Katharine Hepburn bio-play which starred actress Kate Mulgrew. The play, which won the IRNE Award for Best Solo Play had a successful run Off-Broadway at the Promenade Theatre and continues to tour the country. Other Off-Broadway credits include directing the comedy 'End Of The World Party' by Chuck Ranberg at the 47th Street Theatre; 'Mother and Child' at Second Stage; and 'Guilty Innocence' at The Actors' Playhouse, serving the latter two productions as both playwright and director.

Rob Ruggiero directed the world premiere of Looped last summer at the Pasadena Playhouse, as well as the productions that played both The Cuillo Centre and The Arena Stage. Ruggiero conceived and directed 'Ella,' a musical portrait of Ella Fitzgerald which has played (and continues to play) numerous regional theaters nationally. He conceived and directed the original musical revue, 'Make Me A Song: The Music of William Finn,' which received an off-Broadway run as well as a 2008 London production. He made his Off-Broadway directorial debut with the Pearl Buck solo play 'All Under Heaven' (also starring Valerie Harper), which toured regionally and also ran in Los Angeles.