GEORGE STREET PLAYHOUSE The Second Mrs.Wilson Board of Trustees Chairman: James N. Heston* President: Dr. Penelope Lattimer* First Vice President: Lucy Hughes* Second Vice President: Janice Stolar* Treasurer: David Fasanella* Secretary: Sharon Karmazin* Ronald Bleich David Saint* David Capodanno Jocelyn Schwartzman Kenneth M. Fisher Lora Tremayne William R. Hagaman, Jr. Stephen M. Vajtay Norman Politziner Alan W. Voorhees Kelly Ryman* *Denotes Members of the Executive Committee Trustees Emeritus Robert L. Bramson Cody P. Eckert Clarence E. Lockett Al D’Augusta Peter Goldberg Anthony L. Marchetta George Wolansky, Jr. Honorary Board of Trustees Thomas H. Kean Eric Krebs Honorary Memoriam Maurice Aaron∆ Arthur Laurents∆ Dr. Edward Bloustein∆ Richard Sellars∆ Dora Center∆∆ Barbara Voorhees∆∆ Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.∆ Edward K. Zuckerman∆ Milton Goldman∆ Adelaide M. Zagoren John Hila ∆∆ – Denotes Trustee Emeritus ∆ – Denotes Honorary Trustee From the Artistic Director It is a pleasure to welcome back playwright Joe DiPietro for his fifth premiere here at George Street Playhouse! I am truly astonished at the breadth of his talent! From the wild farce of The Toxic Photo by: Frank Wojciechowski Avenger to the drama of Creating Claire and the comic/drama of Clever Little Lies, David Saint Artistic Director now running at the West Side Theatre in Manhattan, he explores all genres. And now the sensational historical romance of The Second Mrs.Wilson. The extremely gifted Artistic Director of Long Wharf Theatre, Gordon Edelstein, brings a remarkable company of Tony Award-winning actors, the top rank of actors working in American theatre today, to breathe astonishing life into these characters from a little known chapter of American history. I know you will be captivated by this fascinating story of what many think of as our first Female President. Enjoy, David Saint Artistic Director Productions sponsored by The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation (from top-left clockwise): Bryan Cranston as Lyndon Baines Johnson in All The Way; Santino Fontana and Tony Shalhoub in a scene from Lincoln Center Theater’s production of Act One; Primary Stage production of Bronx Bombers and Peter Gallagher, Kristin Chenoweth, Andy Karl, Michael McGrath and Mark Linn-Baker in On the Twentieth Century. THE BLANCHE & IRVING LAURIE F O U N D AT I O N GEORGE STREET PLAYHOUSE David Saint, Artistic Director Michael Mastro, Resident Artistic Director Kelly Ryman, Managing Director Presents The Second Mrs. Wilson By Joe DiPietro Directed by Gordon Edelstein Set Design by Alexander Dodge Costume Design by Linda Cho Lighting Design by Ben Stanton Sound Design by John Gromada Production Stage Manager Thomas Clewell* Production Manager Christopher J. Bailey Casting by Calleri Casting The world premiere of The Second Mrs. Wilson was presented at Long Wharf Theatre, New Haven, Conn., May 6-31, 2015. Gordon Edelstein, Artistic Director; Joshua Borenstein, Managing Director. This production is sponsored through the generous support of The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation November 10–29, 2015 In accordance with Actors’ Equity Association regulations, we remind you that all electronic devices, including pagers, cellular phones and watches must be turned off during the performance. This program 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. George Street Playhouse is a constituent of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT) and a member of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance. The theatre operates under an agreement between LORT and Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States, and is a member of the New Brunswick Cultural Center. CAST in order of appearance Edith Wilson Laila Robins* Woodrow Wilson John Glover* Senator Henry Cabot Lodge Sherman Howard* Vice-President Thomas Marshall Richmond Hoxie* Secretary Joe Tumulty Michael McGrath* Colonel Edward House Stephen Spinella* Dr. Cary Grayson Stephen Barker Turner* Attendant Christopher C. Gibbs Attendant Brian McCann Attendant Andre Penn *- denotes member of Actors’ Equity Association. Setting: Mostly in and around The White House, Washington, D.C., 1915-1920 The Second Mrs. Wilson will be performed with one intermission. The actors and stage managers employed in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. The director is a member of The Stage The stage technicians of Directors and Choreographers Society, Inc., George Street Playhouse an independent national labor union. are proud members of IATSE Local 21. The Scenic, Costume, Lighting and Sound Designers in LORT theatres are represented by United Scenic Artists Local USA-829, IATSE. The George Street Playhouse playbill is published five times a year by George Street Playhouse, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation. Please send advertising inquiries to George Street Playhouse, 9 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, attn: Playbill Advertising. Rich in history with roots dating back to 1974, George Street Playhouse is a New Brunswick treasure, providing Broadway-quality shows for audiences of all ages and transformative learning experiences for students. WithumSmith+Brown applauds George Street Playhouse for enriching the lives of so many through the arts —putting our community in a position of strength. Bill Hagaman, CPA, Managing Partner, CEO 732.828.1614 • [email protected] coMpaNY bios. John Glover Richmond Hoxie (President Woodrow (Vice President Wilson) created the role Thomas Marshall) of Woodrow Wilson in Broadway/National: the play’s world premiere I’m Not Rappaport. at Long Wharf Theatre. Off-Broadway: The Shakespeare in the Film Society, Lenin’s Park: Much Ado About Embalmers, Waiting Nothing. Broadway: Macbeth, Death of a for Godot and Angel Street. Regional: Salesman, The Royal Family, Waiting for Light Up the Sky (La Jolla Playhouse), Godot (Tony nomination), The Drowsy The Crucible (Hartford Stage), Amadeus, Chaperone, Love! Valour! Compassion! Twelve Angry Men and Secret Order (The (Tony and Obie Awards), The Great Repertory Theatre of St. Louis), Travels God Brown (Drama Desk Award). Off- with My Aunt (Seattle Repertory Theatre), Broadway: Nikolai and The Others, The Inspecting Carol (Bay Street Theater) Atmosphere of Memory, The Paris Letter and Loot and Council of Thirty (George (Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, Drama League Street Playhouse). Film: JFK, Still of the Nominations). Long Wharf Theatre: The Night, For Love or Money, and My Own Skin of Our Teeth, Yegor Bulychev, The Love Song. TV: Boardwalk Empire, China Doctors Dilemma, Juno and the Paycock, Beach, Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, TV: 5 Emmy nominations. Film: Love! Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Christine Valour! Compassion!, Scrooged, Julia and Cromwell, LA Law, Cosby and others. Annie Hall. Michael McGrath Sherman Howard (Secretary Joe Tumulty) (Senator Henry Cabot Broadway: Nice Work Lodge) Broadway: If You Can Get It (Tony, Gore Vidal’s The Best Drama Desk and Outer Man, Bengal Tiger Critics awards), Born at the Baghdad Zoo, Yesterday, Memphis, All My Sons and Is He Dead?, Spamalot Inherit The Wind. Off- (Tony nomination), Wonderful Town, Broadway: Bauer (59E59th), Another Little Me, Swinging On A Star (Theatre Part of the Forest (Peccadillo Theatre), World Award), The Goodbye Girl and Titus Andronicus, Tell Out My Soul My Favorite Year. Michael also appeared (Public Theatre), Geography of a Horse in the City Center Encores! productions Dreamer, The Crate (Ensemble Studio of Follies, The Boys from Syracuse, and Theatre). Regional theatres: ACT in San DuBarry Was A Lady. Off-Broadway Francisco, Old Globe, La Jolla Playhouse, credits: The Cocoanuts, The Butter And Actors Theatre of Louisville, Pittsburgh Egg Man, Game Show, Louisiana Purchase Public, The Shakespeare Theatre of and Forbidden Broadway. Michael has NJ, etc. Favorite roles include Hamlet, appeared on television in The Martin Macbeth, Prospero, Galileo, Enrico IV, Short Show. Film credits: The Interpreter, Henry II, Glendenning, Benedick, Joe Changing Lanes and Ira and Abby. Keller, Spooner, Scrooge, Sheridan, Lopakhin, Lex Luthor, Bub et al. Film and TV: Google… Unlike the great performances you’ve enjoyed at the George Street Playhouse, life is not something you can rehearse. Embrace the unexpected Talk to BPSK. Insuring local businesses and families for 100 years. Since 1974, an original founder, insurer and proud supporter of The George Street Playhouse. Formerly Parker Remsen & Sullivan 800-932-4476 bordenperlman.com CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF SERVICE, 1915-2015 coMpaNY bios. Laila Robins Stephen Barker Turner (Edith Wilson) Broadway: (Dr. Cary Grayson) is Heartbreak House, thrilled to be reprising Frozen (Lucille Lortel Dr. Grayson. Other nomination), The Herbal recent premieres: I See Bed and The Real Thing. You (The Flea), David Off-Broadway: The Apple Adjmi’s The Evildoers, Family Plays (Obie, Dead Accounts and The Drama Desk), The Lady from Dubuque Scene (both by Theresa Rebeck), After (OCC nomination), A Midsummer Night’s Ashley and Compulsion by Rinne Groff, Dream (Central Park), The Merchant directed by Oskar Eustis with Mandy of Venice (Calloway Award), Sore Patinkin. Other NY theatre: Benefactors Throats (Lortel nomination), Mrs. Klein (Keen), Richard III and All’s Well That (Tour: Jefferson Award, Helen Hayes Ends Well (NYSF), Race (CSC), All My nomination). Regional: