Join LTV Studios and Playwrights’ Theatre of East Hampton over Thanksgiving weekend for a playful, funny and poignant evening in the theater starring two of the East End’s most vibrant and accomplished stars — Tony, Drama Desk, Golden Globe and Academy Award-winner Mercedes Ruehl and legendary Broadway, TV and film actor Harris Yulin starring in “Scenes of Mirth & Marriage: A Theatrical Evening.” Directed by Sag Harbor’s own James Larocca, the staged reading event will be at LTV on Saturday, November 30, at 7 p.m. with sound design by David M. Brandenburg and lighting design by Hudson Woelk.
“Scenes of Mirth & Marriage” reunites illustrious friends Ruehl and Yulin in a program of theatrical readings ranging from the silly to the sublime. It’s a rare and welcome chance to celebrate both actors’ craft on stage as they read works by playwrights like Edward Albee, Noël Coward, Neil Simon and others. Don’t be surprised if there are some musical moments and even a bit of Abbott and Costello thrown in for fun and good measure. With sound and music by David M. Brandenburg, this show promises to be a highlight of the East End holiday season.
Mercedes Ruehl has appeared in the films “The Fisher King” (Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Los Angeles and Chicago Film Critics Association Awards), “Married to the Mob,” “The Warriors,” “Big,” “Heartburn,” “Slaves of New York,” “Another You,” “Last Action Hero,” “Lost in Yonkers,” and many others. She has been seen on Broadway in Neil Simon’s “Lost in Yonkers” (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Helen Hayes Awards), “The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?” (Outer Critics Circle Award, Tony nomination) and “The Rose Tattoo,” to name just a few. “The Shadow Box” (Tony nomination), and “I’m Not Rappaport.” She also has numerous television credits to her name.
After studying in Los Angeles with the black-listed actor Jeff Corey, Harris Yulin spent 20 months living in Europe and Israel, dubbing films into English, and performing a night club show with William Burroughs at the Club Montparnasse in Paris. He made his New York debut in 1963 in James Saunders’s “Next Time I’ll Sing to You,” with James Earl Jones and Estelle Parsons at the Phoenix Theatre. Many plays, Broadway, off-Broadway and elsewhere followed. Recent appearances include “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” at the Court Theatre, Chicago, “Death of a Salesman” at the Gate Theatre, Dublin and “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” at the Chautauqua Festival. His first film was in 1968, an adaptation by Terry Southern of John Barth’s “End of The Road,” directed by Adam Avakian with longtime friends James Earl Jones and Stacy Keach. Other fondly remembered but not necessarily widely seen efforts include “Candy Mountain” directed by Robert Frank and Rudy Wurlitzer, “Short History of Decay” by Michael Maren and “Scarface” directed by Brian de Palma. He has many TV appearances including on “Ozark” and “WIOU,” about a CBS newsroom where he played a troubled anchorman. He has taught, acted and directed at The Juilliard School for 10 years.
James L. Larocca is a playwright and director whose war-based drama “Penang” opened the 2008 Midtown International Theater Festival in New York City. The play was presented earlier in a staged reading at The Players in New York City in 2003, and at the John Drew Theater at Guild Hall of East Hampton later that year. “Penang” received favorable reviews for a full production in November 2009 at the Abington Workshop Theater in New York City in a production starring Brett Davidson and Peter Sabri.
Larocca’s one-act play, “Jimmy Chen,” was presented by The Naked Stage at John Drew in April, 2008. He directed two staged readings of the award-winning drama “Visiting Mr. Green” starring Eli Wallach in 2009 at The Players in New York City and the John Drew Theater in East Hampton. He directed the premiere presentation of the new play, “Harry and Eddie: The Birth of Israel,” for the John Drew Theater in the summer of 2007. The historical drama was written by Mark Weston and starred Eli Wallach, Anne Jackson, Rik Colitti, Dick Horwich and Ed Schiff.
In 2004, Larocca directed Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson in A. R. Gurney’s “Love Letters” at Guild Hall, and in 2005 he directed the pair again in “In Persons.” He was a founding member of the Naked Stage, the theater collaborative at The John Drew Theater, and was a longtime member of Meir Ribalow’s Playwrights Workshop at The Players in Gramercy Park. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild, Inc. and resides with his family in Sag Harbor and New York City.
For details regarding tickets for the staged reading, visit ltveh.org. LTV Studios is at 75 Industrial Road in Wainscott.
Staff Writer on Nov 11, 2024