(NEW BRUNWICK, NJ) -- Stage and screen legends Judd Hirsch (TV: Taxi, Superior Donuts; Film: Ordinary People, Independence Day) and Dan Lauria (TV: The Wonder Years, Pitch; Broadway: Lombardi, A Christmas Story) have been cast for a special one-night-only reading of Jeffrey Sweet’s play, The Value of Names, on Thursday, May 11, 2017, at 7:30pm at George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, NJ.
In The Value of Names, Benny Silverman (Hirsch) is a retired comic whose career was derailed by the McCarthy-era blacklist. His actress daughter is working on a project when the director falls ill and is forced to step down. Taking his place is the man who betrayed Benny to the House Un-American Activities Committee – and his former best friend, Leo Greshen (Lauria). These circumstances converge to give the two men the opportunity to confront each other — face-to-face.
Tickets are $35 with limited $75 premium seating available. Premium seating includes an exclusive post-show reception with the artists. Tickets can be ordered online at http://gsponline.org, via phone at 732-246-7717 or in person at the GSP box office. George Street Playhouse is located at 9 Livingston Avenue, in the heart of New Brunswick’s dining and entertainment district.
Judd Hirsch made his stage debut in the early 1960s. In 1978, he landed his breakout role as Alex Reiger on the hit sitcom Taxi, for which he won two Emmy Awards. Around this time, he scored an Oscar nomination for his performance in the 1980 film Ordinary People. He won Tony Awards for Best Lead Actor in a Play for I’m Not Rappaport in 1986 and Conversations with My Father in 1992. Hirsch went on to enjoy featured roles on such shows as Dear John and Numb3rs, as well as in movies like Independence Day and its sequel Independence Day: Resurgence. He can currently be seen in Superior Donuts on CBS.
Dan Lauria returns to George Street Playhouse for the first time since the 2007 production of The Value of Names co-starring Jack Klugman. Previous appearances at George Street include the 1998 and 2006 productions of Inspecting Carol, and 2005’s The Winning Streak. His stage credits also include a critically acclaimed portrayal of legendary Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi in Lombardi on Broadway in 2010. Two years later, he played broadcasting legend and writer Jean Shepherd in the Broadway production of A Christmas Story: The Musical, based on Shepherd’s original radio story-turned-hit movie. He is best known for his portrayal of family patriarch Jack Arnold on television’s The Wonder Years. He can be seen in Fox’s Pitch as baseball team manager Al Luongo.
About George Street Playhouse
In the 42 years since its founding, George Street Playhouse has become a nationally recognized theatre, presenting an acclaimed mainstage season while providing an artistic home for established and emerging theatre artists. The Playhouse is expected to take residence in a new performing arts center in downtown New Brunswick, N.J., for the 2019-20 season. Its leadership consists of Artistic Director David Saint, Resident Artistic Director Michael Mastro and Managing Director Kelly Ryman. Founded in 1974, the Playhouse has been well represented by numerous productions both on and off-Broadway, including the Outer Critics’ Circle Best Musical Award-winner The Toxic Avenger; the Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk and Drama League nominated production of The Spitfire Grill; and the Broadway hit and Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning play Proof by David Auburn, which was developed at GSP during the 1999 Next Stage Series of new plays. In 2015, George Street Playhouse was represented by two productions in New York: the recent Broadway production of It Shoulda Been You, and Joe DiPietro’s Clever Little Lies, which opened off-Broadway in October. Both shows received their premieres at the Playhouse. In addition to its mainstage season, GSP’s Touring Educational Theatre features three issue-oriented productions that are seen by more than 40,000 students annually. George Street Playhouse programming is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.
