Act One
Written by James Lapine
from the autobiography by Moss Hart
Directed by James Lapine
Lapine adapts the memoir of Broadway legend Moss Hart for the stage, rendering a funny and touching portrait of the artist as a young man. Narrated by the older Moss Hart, the play traces his life from being poor in The Bronx to becoming famous and successful as a Broadway writer and director. The play also depicts Hart's meeting and collaboration with George S. Kaufman and ends with the production of the Hart-Kaufman successful play, Once in a Lifetime in 1930.
Act One
Written & Directed by James Lapine
The Vivian Beaumont Theater in Lincoln Center
March 20, 2014 – June 15, 2014
Photos by Joan Marcus and Sarah Krulwich
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Written by James Lapine
From the autobiography by Moss Hart
Original Music by Louis RosenDirected by James Lapine
Choreographed by Mimi Lieber
Associate Director: Wes GrantomScenic Design by Beowulf Boritt
Costume Design by Jane Greenwood
Lighting Design by Ken Billington
Sound Design by Dan Moses Schreier
Hair and Wig Design by Tom Watson
Make-Up Design by Jon Carter
Associate Scenic Design: Alexis Distler
Associate Costume Design: Daniel Urlie
Associate Lighting Design: John Demous
Associate Sound Design: Joshua ReidGeneral Manager: Jessica Niebanck
Company Manager: Matthew Markoff
Associate Gen. Mgr: Meghan Lantzy
Assistant Co. Mgr: Jessica FriedProduction Stage Manager: Rick Steiger
Production Manager: Jeff Hamlin
Associate Prod. Mgr: Paul Smithyman
Assistant Stage Mgr: Janet Takami and Christopher R. MunnellProduced by Lincoln Center Theater (André Bishop: Producing Artistic Director; Adam Siegel: Managing Director; Hattie Jutagir, Executive Director of Development and Planning)
General Press Representative: Philip Rinaldi
LCT Director of Casting: Daniel Swee
LCT Director of Marketing: Linda Mason Ross
Dialect and Vocal Coach: Deborah Hecht
Fight direction by Thomas Schall
Advertising: SPOTCo, Inc.
Marketing: SPOTCo, Inc.
Digital: SPOTCo, Inc.
Photographer: Joan Marcus
Videographer: Fresh Produce Productions -
Santino Fontana: Moss Hart
Andrea Martin: Aunt Kate, Frieda Fishbein, Beatrice Kaufman
Tony Shalhoub: Moss Hart, Barnett Hart, George S. Kaufman
Matthew Schechter: Moss Hart, Bernie Hart
Bill Army: Eddie Chodorov
Will Brill: David Allen, Dore Schary, George (Once In a Lifetime)
Laurel Casillo: Roz, Mary
Chuck Cooper: Wally, Charles Gilpin, Max Siegel
Steven Kaplan: Irving Gordon, Pianist
Will LeBow: Augustus Pitou, Jed Harris
Mimi Lieber: Lillie Hart, Helen (Once In a Lifetime)
Charlotte Maier: Phyllis, Aline MacMahon, May (Once In a Lifetime)
Deborah Offner: Belle, Mrs. Rosenbloom
Matthew Saldivar: Joseph Regan, Jerry (Once In a Lifetime)
Bob Stillman: Priestly Morrison, Sam Harris, Pianist
Amy Warren: Mrs. Henry B. Harris, Jean Dixon, May (Once In a Lifetime)
Ensemble: Bob Ari, Noah Marlowe, Greg McFadden, Lance Roberts, Wendy Rich Stetson Jonathan Spivey
Understudies: Bob Ari (Augustus Pitou, Barnett Hart, George S. Kaufman, Jed Harris, Moss Hart), Steven Kaplan (Moss Hart), Noah Marlowe (Bernie Hart, Moss Hart), Greg McFadden (Jerry, Joseph Regan, Priestly Morrison, Sam Harris), Lance Roberts (Charles Gilpin, Max Siegel, Wally), Jonathan Spivey (David Allen, Dore Schary, Eddie Chodorov, George, Irving Gordon), Wendy Rich Stetson (Aline MacMahon, Jean Dixon, Mary, May, Mrs. Henry B. Harris, Phyllis, Roz) and Amy Warren (Frieda Fishbein)
Awards, Reviews & Features
2014 Tony Awards
Received five Tony Award nominations, including Best Play
Winner of Best Scenic Design (Beowulf Boritt)
2014 Outer Critics Circle Award
Nominated for Outstanding New Broadway Play
“[‘Act One’] brims contagiously with the ineffable, irrational and irrefutable passion for that endangered religion called the Theater. Or, more specifically, the exacting subset of that creed, the Theater as it is practiced in the Holy Land of Broadway, which this spring has tested the fortitude of its disciples. ‘Act One’ critically reminds us, at a moment when it’s easy to forget, of why so many of us fell head over heels for this cockamamie faith to begin with.”
Ben Brantley for The New York Times
*New York Times Critic’s Pick*
“'Act One' is a nostalgic and ultimately upbeat reflection on fulfilling a dream… Lapine captures that essence and the period, on the page and on the stage…”