The Grand Manner changes opening & first preview date

Lincoln Center Theater has announced that its world premiere production of A. R. Gurney's new play, The Grand Manner, directed by Mark Lamos, will now open at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater on 27 Jun 2010, following previews from 2 Jun.

The Grand Manner was originally scheduled to open on 24 Jun 2010, following previews from 1 Jun. The production will still close on 1 Aug 2010.

The Grand Manner: In 1948, playwright A.R. Gurney, then a young boarding school student, traveled to New York where he attended a performance of Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra, going backstage afterwards to meet the production's star, the great stage actress Katharine Cornell, who was dubbed 'The First Lady of the American Stage' by the legendary critic Alexander Woolcott.. A mix of remembrance and imagination, The Grand Manner is a love letter to this fabled actress and a heartfelt look back at the glorious heyday of the Broadway theatre.

Kate Burton will portray 'Katherine Cornell,' with Boyd Gaines as her husband, director 'Guthrie McClintic,' and Brenda Wehle as her general manager and confidant, 'Gert Macy.' Bobby Steggert will portray 'Pete,' playwright Gurney's fictional self.

Set design is by John Arnone, costumes by Ann Hould-Ward, lighting by Russell H. Champa and sound by John Gromada.

Playwright A.R. Gurney's many plays include 'Far East,' 'Ancestral Voices' and 'Big Bill,' all produced by Lincoln Center Theater. Director Mark Lamos returns to Lincoln Center Theater where he directed Gurney's 'Big Bill' as well as such past LCT productions as Shakespeare's 'Cymbeline' and 'Measure for Measure,' Sheridan's 'The Rivals' and Edward Albee's 'Seascape.'