FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE

For more information, contact:

Jenni Benzaquen

Press Director

Geffen Playhouse

(310) 208-6500, ext. 126

jenni@geffenplayhouse.com

GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE PROUDLY PRESENTS STEVE MARTIN’S THE UNDERPANTS

Tony Award Winning Director John Rando Returns

to Geffen Playhouse to Helm Steve Martin’s Hilarious Adaptation;

Stellar Ensemble Cast Includes Amy Aquino, Jack Betts, Dan Castellaneta, Anthony Crivello, Patrick Kerr, Meredith Patterson and Steve Vinovich

March 9—May 2, 2004

LOS ANGELES, CA – February 19, 2004 – Geffen Playhouse Producing Director Gilbert Cates proudly announces the West Coast premiere of The Underpants, Steve Martin’s contemporary adaptation of a Carl Sternheim play. Set at the turn of the last century, The Underpants is the hilarious story of a young, beautiful bride who becomes famous after her knickers fall down during a parade for the king. Revealed through the direction of Tony Award winner John Rando (Urinetown), The Underpants stars Amy Aquino, Jack Betts, Dan Castellaneta, Anthony Crivello, Patrick Kerr, Meredith Patterson and Steve Vinovich. Performances of The Underpants begin Tuesday, March 9 and run through Sunday, May 2, with an official press opening on Wednesday, March 25, 2004.

Steve Martin’s award-winning comedy, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, was the first play to appear on the Geffen Playhouse stage nearly 10 years ago. Today, as the Geffen Playhouse prepares to temporarily relocate to the Brentwood Theatre, Martin’s The Underpants marks the final play to be performed at the Geffen prior to its May 2004 groundbreaking.

“When we set out to create a new venue for cutting edge theater in Los Angeles, it made perfect sense to inaugurate this beautiful playhouse with the genius comedy of Steve Martin,” said Cates. “As we focus our energies on creating an even more amazing space for our devoted audiences to enjoy, I can’t think of a better way to ring out a decade here than with another Steve Martin masterpiece.”

The Underpants cast features Aquino (Living Out, Mark Taper Forum; Curb Your Enthusiasm), Betts (Harvey, Laguna Playhouse; Spider-man), Castellaneta (Emmy Award winner, Homer on The Simpsons); Crivello (Tony Award winner, Valentin in Kiss of the Spider Woman); Kerr (Curb Your Enthusiasm; Frasier); Patterson (Tony Award winning production, 42^nd Street); and Steve Vinovich (Lost in Yonkers, Richard Rodgers Theatre).

Assigned the task of creating an environment that would allow Martin’s wildly farcical and satirical play to thrive, The Underpants creative team includes Alexander Dodge (Scenic Design), Christina Haatainen Jones (Costume Design), Jeff Croiter (Lighting Design), Karl Fredrik Lundeberg (Original Music and Sound Design) and Jimmie McDermott (Production Stage Manager).

Tickets for The Underpants are currently on sale and can be purchased in person at the Geffen Playhouse box office, by phone at (310) 208-5454, or online at www.geffenplayhouse.com. Ticket prices range from $28 to $46. The Geffen Playhouse is located at 10886 Le Conte Avenue in Westwood Village. The Geffen Playhouse performance schedule is as follows: Tuesday through Thursday at 7:30 p.m.; Friday at 8:00 p.m.; Saturday at 4:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.; and Sunday at 2:00 and 7:00 p.m.

The Underpants Biographies

Steve Martin (Adaptor) is one of the most diversified performers in the industry today. He became a television writer in the late 1960’s, winning an Emmy Award for his work on the hit series The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. By the end of the decade he was performing his own material in clubs and on television. He won Grammy Awards for his two comedy albums, Let’s Get Small and A Wild and Crazy Guy and has a gold record with his single, King Tut. His films over the last two decades include The Jerk; Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid; The Man With Two Brains; All of Me; Pennies From Heaven; Roxanne; Dirty Rotten Scoundrels; Parenthood; L.A. Story; Grand Canyon; Father of the Bride; Housesitter; The Spanish Prisoner; Bowfinger; Little Shop of Horrors; Planes, Trains and Automobiles; Three Amigos; My Blue Heaven; Novocaine; Bringing Down the House; Looney Tunes: Back in Action; and Cheaper by the Dozen. Currently, Martin is in production in the Touchstone Pictures film Shopgirl, from a screenplay written by Martin, adapted from his best-selling novella of the same name. In 1993, Martin’s first original play, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, debuted at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company and then transferred to the Promenade Theatre Off-Broadway in New York. Picasso was the first production at the Geffen Playhouse. Martin’s other plays include Zig-Zag Woman; Patter for the Floating Lady; WASP and Romeo and Juliet at Antioch. His second novella, The Pleasure of My Company was ranked on best-seller lists around the country including that of the New York Times. He has also written a best selling collection of comic pieces, Pure Drivel, and his work frequently appears in the New Yorker and the New York Times. Martin lives in New York City and Los Angeles. 

John Rando (Director) is the Tony Award winning director of Urinetown. On Broadway, Rando also directed A Thousand Clowns and Neil Simon's The Dinner Party. Rando recently directed the off-Broadway plays Bright Ideas for Manhattan Class Company Theatre and Rounding Third. His other off-Broadway credits include Polish Joke for Manhattan Theatre Club; Ancient History, English Made Simple, Mere Mortals and An Empty Plate In The Cafe Du Grand Boeuf for Primary Stages; Things You Shouldn't Say Past Midnight at the Promenade; The Comedy Of Errors for the Acting Company; When Ladies Battle, Venetian Twins and Twelfth Night for the Pearl Theatre. Rando has directed regionally at The Globe Theaters, Berkshire Theatre Festival, Actors Theatre of Cleveland Play House, Studio Arena in Buffalo, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Playmakers Rep in Louisville, North Carolina, Syracuse Stage and Portland Stage Company. He has helmed the stage twice before at the Geffen Playhouse, directing All in The Timing and Merton of The Movies. Rando was a Drama League directing fellow and holds an M.F.A. from UCLA.

Amy Aquino (Gertrude) is perhaps best known among local theatergoers for her performance as Nancy in the 2003 premiere of Lisa Loomer’s Living Out at the Mark Taper Forum. She also appeared in Michael Patrick King’s Thorn and Bloom at the Court Theater. Her New York stage credits include Broadway’s The Heidi Chronicles; Circle Repertory’s Love Diatribe and The Road to Nirvana; and Right Behind the Flag at Playwrights Horizons. Aquino has also performed at the La Jolla Playhouse, the Guthrie and Yale Repertory Theatre. Her film credits include White Oleander; Undisputed and The Singing Detective; as well as Boys on the Side; Working Girl; Moonstruck and Alan and Naomi. She has also worked consistently in television, as a series regular in the critically acclaimed Brooklyn Bridge and Picket Fences; and more recently in recurring roles on Curb Your Enthusiasm; ER; Everybody Loves Raymond; Crossing Jordan; Felicity and Judging Amy. Aquino holds an M.F.A. in Acting from the Yale School of Drama.

Jack Betts (Klinglehoff) made his first Broadway appearance in Tennessee Williams’ Sweet Bird of Youth. A member of the Actor's Studio since 1957, Betts has appeared in dozens of Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, including the recent production of Dracula. On the West Coast, Betts recently played Judge Omar Gaffney in the Laguna Playhouse production of Harvey. His movie credits include Spiderman, 8mm, Gods and Monsters, The Next Best Thing, Office Space, Batman and Robin, Batman Forever, Falling Down and The Assassination of Trotsky with Richard Burton. Betts’ television credits include Everybody Loves Raymond, Friends, Frasier, Seinfeld, MADtv, All My Children and One Life to Live (in which he played Dr. Ivan Kipling for eight years). Betts has appeared in several Movies of the Week, including Sinatra, Marilyn & Bobby, Bobby Rex and The Intruders. In addition to acting, Betts writes and directs. In 1994, Betts starred in 1-800-SAVE-ME, a play he wrote, at the Marilyn Monroe Theatre. In 1996, Doris Roberts directed his play Screen Test, Take One at the Skylight Theatre. Betts directed and designed sets for his latest play, Friendly Acquaintances, which premiered at the Met Theatre.

Dan Castellaneta (Theo Maske) is the recipient of two Emmy Awards for his voice work as Homer, Krusty, Grandpa and others on The Simpsons. He co-starred on the Emmy-winning Tracy Ullman Show and in the ABC series Sibs. Castellaneta’s other television work includes Frasier; Friends; That 70’s Show; NYPD Blue; Everybody Loves Raymond; Yes, Dear; Reba; and Murphy Brown. His film work includes The Client; Forget Paris; Love Affair; War of the Roses; Nothing in Common; My Giant; The Settlement; Neil Simon’s Laughter on the 23^rd Floor for Showtime, and the NBC movie Charlie’s Angeles: Behind the Camera. In Chicago, Castellaneta performed with famed comedy troupe The Second City. In Los Angeles, he won a Dramalogue Award for Tom & Jerry as part of Showtime's Act One Series. Castellaneta also created the role of Harvey Pekar in American Splendor at Theater/Theater. He performed and co-wrote the acclaimed comedy show Deb & Dan’s Show at The Improvisation. Castellaneta made his New York debut in the title role of The Alchemist and also performed his one-man show Where Did Vincent Van Gogh? in LA, New York, Chicago, at The Edinburgh Theatre Festival, and Aspen HBO Comedy Festival.

Anthony Crivello (Versati) is a Tony Award winning actor for his role as Valentin in Kiss of the Spider Woman. His other Broadway theater credits include Marie Christine, Evita, Les Miserables and The News. Crivello’s other theater credits include The House of Martin Guerre (Goodman Theater); Measure for Measure (Lincoln Center); Jane Eyre (Toronto); Expecting Isabel (Mark Taper Forum); Do I hear a Waltz (Pasadena Playhouse); Frankie and Johnnie at the Claire de Lune (Milwaukee Chamber Theater); Romantique (American Repertory Theater). At LA Reprise, Crivello starred in Assassins, directed by David Lee and Kismet, directed by Arthur Allan Seidelman. His film work includes Texas rangers; Independence Day; The Glass Jar; Jane Austin’s Mafia!; Slaves of New York; Spellbinder; Shakedown; and Crocodile Dundee II. Crivello’s television credits include Frasier; Seinfeld; In-Laws, Crossing Jordan; Law and Order; Normal Ohio; Babylon 5; Dillinger and Capone; The Lost Capone; Miami Vice; Star Trek-Voyager; Alien Hunter; and Les Miserables in Concert: Live from London’s Royal Albert Hall.

Patrick Kerr (Cohen) last appeared at the Geffen Playhouse in Paul Rudnick’s Jeffrey. Kerr has also performed locally at the Mark Taper Forum, the Pasadena Playhouse and South Coast Repertory. Kerr is perhaps best known for his roles as the recurring blind man, Michael, on Curb Your Enthusiasm and Noel Shempsky on Frasier, a role he has played for 11 years. Kerr’s other television credits include E.R., Will & Grace, It’s All Relative, Friends, Law & Order, The Parkers, Yes, Dear, The Brotherhood of Poland New Hampshire. Kerr is the recipient of the SAG Award for Ensemble, the Bay Area Critic’s Award, the Santa Barbara Independent Award, the Dean Goodman Award, the Garland Award, and two Ovation Award Nominations. He received his M.F.A. from the Yale School of Drama.

Meredith Patterson (Louise Maske) will make her Los Angeles stage debut in the Geffen Playhouse production of The Underpants. Patterson began her Broadway career in 2000, when she was cast in The Green Bird, directed by Tony award winner Julie Taymor at the Cort Theatre. In 2001, Patterson made her Broadway musical debut in the Tony Award winning production of 42^nd Street, in which she played Peggy Sawyer. Following the Broadway run, Patterson went to Moscow to appear in the groundbreaking production of 42^nd Street. Last summer, Patterson starred in Julie Andrew’s directorial debut production of the musical The Boy Friend. She recently completed filming Princess Diaries II, due in theaters soon. Patterson graduated from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York in 1995.

Steve Vinovich (A Late Arrival) has appeared on Broadway in Loose Ends; Lost in Yonkers; The Robber Bridegroom; Jerry Herman’s The Grand Tour and David Hare’s The Secret Rapture. In the Los Angeles area, Steve has played the leads in The Foreigner and Special Occasions at the Pasadena Playhouse; The Price at the Laguna Playhouse, On Golden Pond with Charles Durning at Long Beach Studio Theatre and Robber Bridegroom at the Mark Taper Forum. He’s been in three Reprise musicals at UCLA: Bells Are Ringing; Strike Up the Band and Babes in Arms. Vinovich also performed in Awake and Sing at the Odyssey and Golden Boy and Divorcons at Pacific Resident Theater. He played George in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolfe and Uncle Peck in How I Learned to Drive at the Nevada Conservatory Theater. Vinovich previously worked with John Rando in the Broadway tour of The Dinner Party. Vinovich’s film credits include The Santa Clause; Awakenings; Mannequin and (as the voice of Puffin) The Swan Princess. He has done hundreds of commercials and TV shows including Everybody Loves Raymond; 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter and Judging Amy.

Geffen Playhouse Moves to the Brentwood Theatre

In May 2004, Geffen Playhouse will relocate to the Brentwood Theatre for an estimated 15 months, during which time the historic Geffen Playhouse will undergo a major renovation and expansion. Located less than two miles west of the Geffen Playhouse on the campus of the Veteran’s Administration, the Brentwood Theatre will host the final play of the Geffen’s 2003/2004 season as well as the entire run of the Geffen’s 2004/2005 season. The Brentwood Theatre is near the Wadsworth Theatre in Brentwood, near many popular restaurants and shops on San Vicente Boulevard, and will offer Geffen Playhouse patrons spacious parking.

The renovation of Geffen Playhouse will include improved and increased seating capacity of the current auditorium, improved acoustics, an expanded theater lobby, greater handicap accessibility, upgraded artist dressing rooms and backstage areas, larger restrooms and an additional 120-seat theater. The new Geffen Playhouse complex and renovations will be completed for the Geffen’s 2005/2006 season.

Play 5 Announced – Cookin’ at the Cookery: The Music and Times of Alberta Hunter

Kicking off a 15-month stay at the Brentwood Theatre, the Geffen Playhouse will proudly present Cookin’ at the Cookery: The Music and Times of Alberta Hunter. Written and directed by Marion J. Caffey, this award-winning musical, set in Greenwich Village’s The Cookery in 1977, is based on the life of blues and jazz legend Alberta Hunter. Cookin’ at the Cookery was recently lauded by the Chicago Sun-Times as “downright inspirational…pure, unadulterated fun.” The Geffen Playhouse production of Cookin’ at the Cookery premieres at Brentwood Theatre June 15 through July 25, with an official press opening on Wednesday, June 23, 2004.

Geffen Playhouse is headed by Producing Director Gilbert Cates, Artistic Director Randall Arney and Managing Director Stephen Eich.

# # #