The Homecoming pushes back performance dates by one week

The 40th anniversary revival of Harold Pinter's The Homecoming, and starring Ian McShane, Ra�l Esparza and Michael McKean has pushed back its preformance dates by one week.

The production will now open at the Cort Theatre on 9 Dec 2007, and preview from 23 Nov 2007. It was originally scheduled to open on 4 Dec 2007, following previews from 16 Nov 2007. The 20-week limited engagement will run through to 13 Apr 2008.

The Homecoming concerns the ultimate dysfunctional family, presided over by its patriarch Max (McShane). Living under his dilapidated roof are his younger brother Sam (McKean), and two of his sons: Lenny (Esparza), the town pimp, and Joey, a boxer-in-training. Tensions begin to flair with the arrival of Max's eldest son Teddy, who returns home after six years with his new wife Ruth. Seduction, betrayal, and divisiveness ensue, as the family welcomes the homecoming of its estranged brother and vies for the attention of his dangerously alluring wife."

The Homecoming will mark the 40th anniversary for both Pinter's play and Ian McShane. McShane has only appeared once on Broadway, and that was almost 40 years ago when he played Marat in a production of 'The Promise' by Aleksei Arbuzov, which played at the Henry Miller Theatre (theatre now closed) from 3 Nov - 2 Dec 1967. The Homecoming received its Broadway premiere at the Music Box Theatre, where it played from 3 Jan - 14 Oct 1967.

Pinter, who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2005, is the author of The Birthday Party, Betrayal, Old Times, No Man's Land, The Caretaker, The Dumb Waiter, Ashes to Ashes, and Celebration.

McShane is known to TV audiances for his portrayal of profanity-spewing villain Al Swearingen in HBO's TV series 'Deadwood'. His other TV credits include 'Lovejoy' in which he was the star, and Don Lockwood in 'Dallas.' His movie credits include: Scoop, Sexy Beast and Agent Cody Banks.

McShane was last seen on the London stage in the year 2000 when he played Darryl Van Horne in Cameron Mackintosh's musical The Witches of Eastwick, his only previous London stage appearance was, like his Broadway debut, back in 1967 when he again played the character of Marat in Aleksei Arbuzov's 'The Promise'.

Ra�l Esparza was recently seen in the 2007 Tony Award winning revival of Company, in which he played the lead role of Bobby, for which he was nominated for the 2007 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical. His other Broadway credits include Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (2005), Taboo (2003 -Tony nomianated for Best Featured Actor in a musical), The Rocky Horror Show (2000 revival) and Cabaret (1998 revival).

Michael McKean was last seen on Broadway as Hines in The Pajama Game (2006 revival). His other Broadway credits include Hairspray (2002) and Accomplice (1990). The remaining three roles are still to be cast.

The design team features Eugene Lee (Sets), Kenneth Posner (lighting), and Jess Goldstein (costumes). The play is being produced on Broadway by Jeffrey Richards and Jerry Frankel.