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Event Program
MON, OCT 28
THE CAST (in order of appearance)
George Seurat / Angelique Alouette: Laura Benanti
August / Joseph Roulin / Theo van Gogh / The Inspector: Roger Bart
Hank Toulouse-Lautrec / Toinette Alouette: Briga Heelan
Paulie Gaugin: Peter Grosz
Vinny van Gogh: Brendan Hunt
Neil Simon: Will Brill
Steve the Busboy: Max Monnig
Rachel / Madame Ginoux: Nikki M. James
Stage Directions: Ezra Edelman
Expected runtime is 140 minutes, with intermission.
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Roger Bart’s body of work extends to both the small and big screens, as well as to the stage. He may be best known to theater audiences for originating the role of Carmen Ghia in Mel Brooks' Broadway musical The Producers, for which he received Tony and Drama Desk award nominations, a role which he recreated in the film adaptation of the musical. He won Tony and Drama Desk awards for his performance as Snoopy in the revival of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. In addition to originating the title role in the musical of Young Frankenstein, his other notable stage appearances include Disaster!, for which he received an Outer Critics Circle Award nomination, The Frogs, Triumph of Love, King David, and Big River. He created the role of Hades in the NYSF/Public Theater production of Hercules, revisiting the piece that he first brought to life as the singing voice of Young Hercules in Disney's animated feature film. He can currently be seen starring as Doc Brown in the Broadway adaptation of Back to the Future, for which he received a Tony Award nomination, following an acclaimed run on the West End, where he originated the role. Bart has worked extensively in television, including roles on Good Trouble, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Graves, Grace and Frankie, and Episodes. Additional popular television appearances include Revenge, Desperate Housewives, and 30 Rock. Select film credits include American Gangster, Law Abiding Citizen, The Stepford Wives, Harold & Kumar 2, Hostel: Part II, Trumbo, Last Vegas, and many more.
Roger Bart’s body of work extends to both the small and big screens, as well as to the stage. He may be best known to theater audiences for originating the role of Carmen Ghia in Mel Brooks' Broadway musical The Producers, for which he received Tony and Drama Desk award nominations, a role which he recreated in the film adaptation of the musical. He won Tony and Drama Desk awards for his performance as Snoopy in the revival of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. In addition to originating the title role in the musical of Young Frankenstein, his other notable stage appearances include Disaster!, for which he received an Outer Critics Circle Award nomination, The Frogs, Triumph of Love, King David, and Big River. He created the role of Hades in the NYSF/Public Theater production of Hercules, revisiting the piece that he first brought to life as the singing voice of Young Hercules in Disney's animated feature film. He can currently be seen starring as Doc Brown in the Broadway adaptation of Back to the Future, for which he received a Tony Award nomination, following an acclaimed run on the West End, where he originated the role. Bart has worked extensively in television, including roles on Good Trouble, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Graves, Grace and Frankie, and Episodes. Additional popular television appearances include Revenge, Desperate Housewives, and 30 Rock. Select film credits include American Gangster, Law Abiding Citizen, The Stepford Wives, Harold & Kumar 2, Hostel: Part II, Trumbo, Last Vegas, and many more.
Tony Award winner and five-time Tony Award nominee Laura Benanti is a highly celebrated stage and screen actress. Benanti co-starred in the hit film No Hard Feelings with Jennifer Lawrence and Matthew Broderick, and guest stars in Max’s Gilded Age, Hulu’s Life & Beth, created by and starring Amy Schumer, and Elsbeth on CBS. Benanti earned rave reviews for her portrayal of a grieving widow in Netflix’s film Worth, starring opposite Michael Keaton, Stanley Tucci, and Amy Ryan. She will be seen later this year in the film Goodrich, opposite Michael Keaton, and Everything’s Going to be Great with Bryan Cranston and Allison Janney. Ms. Benanti’s iconic impression of Melania Trump on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is widely praised. Other TV work includes Younger, Ziwe, Gossip Girl, Supergirl, Nashville, and Inside Amy Schumer, among many others. In the theater, Ms. Benanti took Broadway by storm at the age of 18 as Maria in The Sound of Music and has subsequently starred in ten more Broadway shows, including Into the Woods, Nine, opposite Antonio Banderas, Gypsy, for which she won a Tony Award, She Loves Me, My Fair Lady, and Steve Martin’s Meteor Shower opposite Amy Schumer and Keegan-Michael Key. This year, Ms. Benanti debuted her highly celebrated solo comedy show Laura Benanti: Nobody Cares, which she created, wrote, and starred in. This New York Times critics’ pick is available for streaming on Audible.
Tony Award winner and five-time Tony Award nominee Laura Benanti is a highly celebrated stage and screen actress. Benanti co-starred in the hit film No Hard Feelings with Jennifer Lawrence and Matthew Broderick, and guest stars in Max’s Gilded Age, Hulu’s Life & Beth, created by and starring Amy Schumer, and Elsbeth on CBS. Benanti earned rave reviews for her portrayal of a grieving widow in Netflix’s film Worth, starring opposite Michael Keaton, Stanley Tucci, and Amy Ryan. She will be seen later this year in the film Goodrich, opposite Michael Keaton, and Everything’s Going to be Great with Bryan Cranston and Allison Janney. Ms. Benanti’s iconic impression of Melania Trump on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is widely praised. Other TV work includes Younger, Ziwe, Gossip Girl, Supergirl, Nashville, and Inside Amy Schumer, among many others. In the theater, Ms. Benanti took Broadway by storm at the age of 18 as Maria in The Sound of Music and has subsequently starred in ten more Broadway shows, including Into the Woods, Nine, opposite Antonio Banderas, Gypsy, for which she won a Tony Award, She Loves Me, My Fair Lady, and Steve Martin’s Meteor Shower opposite Amy Schumer and Keegan-Michael Key. This year, Ms. Benanti debuted her highly celebrated solo comedy show Laura Benanti: Nobody Cares, which she created, wrote, and starred in. This New York Times critics’ pick is available for streaming on Audible.
Will Brill won the Tony Award this year for his performance in the Broadway play Stereophonic, the most Tony-nominated play of all time. Will can also be seen playing Roy Cohn opposite Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey in the Showtime limited series Fellow Travelers.
Will Brill won the Tony Award this year for his performance in the Broadway play Stereophonic, the most Tony-nominated play of all time. Will can also be seen playing Roy Cohn opposite Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey in the Showtime limited series Fellow Travelers.
Ezra Edelman is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, whose work has examined race, politics, and sports. His most recent film, O.J.: Made In America, won the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 2017. His company, Laylow Pictures, is based in Brooklyn. Laylow’s most recent project, STAX: Soulsville, U.S.A., debuted on HBO in May and was nominated for an Emmy for best documentary series.
Ezra Edelman is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, whose work has examined race, politics, and sports. His most recent film, O.J.: Made In America, won the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 2017. His company, Laylow Pictures, is based in Brooklyn. Laylow’s most recent project, STAX: Soulsville, U.S.A., debuted on HBO in May and was nominated for an Emmy for best documentary series.
Peter Grosz is a writer and actor whose credits include The Colbert Report, for which he earned two Emmy Awards, Late Night with Seth Meyers, Vinyl, Rough Night, The President Show, Veep, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, At Home with Amy Sedaris, Search Party, The Menu, Who Invited Charlie, Fleishman Is in Trouble, New Amsterdam, White House Plumbers, Elsbeth, and Catherine & Michael, which he also wrote and produced. In 2023, Grosz appeared on Broadway in Good Night, Oscar. Additionally, he is a regular panelist on Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me!
Peter Grosz is a writer and actor whose credits include The Colbert Report, for which he earned two Emmy Awards, Late Night with Seth Meyers, Vinyl, Rough Night, The President Show, Veep, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, At Home with Amy Sedaris, Search Party, The Menu, Who Invited Charlie, Fleishman Is in Trouble, New Amsterdam, White House Plumbers, Elsbeth, and Catherine & Michael, which he also wrote and produced. In 2023, Grosz appeared on Broadway in Good Night, Oscar. Additionally, he is a regular panelist on Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me!
In 2023, Briga Heelan made her Broadway debut starring as Cinderella in Once Upon a One More Time, based on the music of Britney Spears. She is perhaps best known as the star, opposite Andrea Martin, John Michael Higgins, and Nicole Richie, of the NBC series Great News, produced by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock. Heelan also starred in the TBS series Ground Floor and recurred on Judd Apatow's Netflix series Love. She had a co-starring role in the indie feature Dean, Demetri Martin's directing debut, which CBS Films released in 2017. Additional credits include Curb Your Enthusiasm, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Undateable, B Positive, and Modern Family, with recurring roles on Jane by Design and Cougar Town.
In 2023, Briga Heelan made her Broadway debut starring as Cinderella in Once Upon a One More Time, based on the music of Britney Spears. She is perhaps best known as the star, opposite Andrea Martin, John Michael Higgins, and Nicole Richie, of the NBC series Great News, produced by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock. Heelan also starred in the TBS series Ground Floor and recurred on Judd Apatow's Netflix series Love. She had a co-starring role in the indie feature Dean, Demetri Martin's directing debut, which CBS Films released in 2017. Additional credits include Curb Your Enthusiasm, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Undateable, B Positive, and Modern Family, with recurring roles on Jane by Design and Cougar Town.
Brendan Hunt is an award-winning actor, screenwriter, and playwright living in Los Angeles, best known for co-creating the international hit Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso along with Jason Sudeikis, Joe Kelly, and Bill Lawrence. He is also an ensemble member for the show, portraying Ted's trusty assistant Coach Beard. In its first two seasons the show won consecutive Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series, a Peabody Award, and many others. A Chicago native and a veteran of sketch and improv comedy, Brendan’s first professional gig was as performer and writer with the notorious comedy theater Boom Chicago in Amsterdam, where he performed with Sudeikis, Seth Meyers, Jordan Peele, Ike Barinholtz, Amber Ruffin, Heather Anne Campbell, and many more. His solo show about that experience, Five Years in Amsterdam, debuted at iO West in Los Angeles, and went on to be performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, The Upright Citizens Brigade LA & NY, Second City ETC, and the HBO US Comedy Arts Festival. In theater, Hunt has twice been nominated for LA Theater’s Ovation Awards, winning one for Best Actor in a Musical. His two plays, Absolutely Filthy and The Art Couple, both had sold-out runs at LA’s Sacred Fools Theater, with the former winning Best Show at both the Hollywood Fringe Festival and the New York International Fringe Festival. His newest solo work, The Movement You Need, just completed a sold-out run at the Soho Playhouse in Manhattan. His television and film appearances include Bless This Mess, Community, Parks and Recreation, Key & Peele, and the upcoming indie science fiction film Chimera. Hunt’s time in Amsterdam engendered in him a passion for the sport of football that would eventually prove to be life-changing, leading not only to Ted Lasso but also finding him as co-host of Apple News' wildly successful World Cup podcast After the Whistle with NBC Sports' Rebecca Lowe. Brendan would like you to know that his fiancé Shannon is the ooh-la-la and the va-va-voom.
Brendan Hunt is an award-winning actor, screenwriter, and playwright living in Los Angeles, best known for co-creating the international hit Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso along with Jason Sudeikis, Joe Kelly, and Bill Lawrence. He is also an ensemble member for the show, portraying Ted's trusty assistant Coach Beard. In its first two seasons the show won consecutive Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series, a Peabody Award, and many others. A Chicago native and a veteran of sketch and improv comedy, Brendan’s first professional gig was as performer and writer with the notorious comedy theater Boom Chicago in Amsterdam, where he performed with Sudeikis, Seth Meyers, Jordan Peele, Ike Barinholtz, Amber Ruffin, Heather Anne Campbell, and many more. His solo show about that experience, Five Years in Amsterdam, debuted at iO West in Los Angeles, and went on to be performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, The Upright Citizens Brigade LA & NY, Second City ETC, and the HBO US Comedy Arts Festival. In theater, Hunt has twice been nominated for LA Theater’s Ovation Awards, winning one for Best Actor in a Musical. His two plays, Absolutely Filthy and The Art Couple, both had sold-out runs at LA’s Sacred Fools Theater, with the former winning Best Show at both the Hollywood Fringe Festival and the New York International Fringe Festival. His newest solo work, The Movement You Need, just completed a sold-out run at the Soho Playhouse in Manhattan. His television and film appearances include Bless This Mess, Community, Parks and Recreation, Key & Peele, and the upcoming indie science fiction film Chimera. Hunt’s time in Amsterdam engendered in him a passion for the sport of football that would eventually prove to be life-changing, leading not only to Ted Lasso but also finding him as co-host of Apple News' wildly successful World Cup podcast After the Whistle with NBC Sports' Rebecca Lowe. Brendan would like you to know that his fiancé Shannon is the ooh-la-la and the va-va-voom.
Nikki M. James currently stars as Ida B. Wells in the Tony-winning musical Suffs, for which she was also nominated for a Tony Award. She originated the role of Nabalungi in the Broadway hit musical The Book of Mormon, for which she won the Tony for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Her favorite theater credits include Tony Kushner's A Bright Room Called Day at The Public; Broadway productions of Les Miserables and All Shook Up; The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin with Encores!; Romeo and Juliet and Antony & Cleopatra alongside Christopher Plummer at the Stratford Theater; The Wiz at the La Jolla Playhouse; Julius Caesar and Twelfth Night with Shakespeare in the Park; Bernarda Alba at Lincoln Center; and Preludes with LCT3. Her film and television credits include The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby, Lucky Stiff, BrainDead, Proven Innocent, The Good Wife, Modern Love, Severance, and Spoiler Alert. As a director, she has helmed episodes of The Bite and The Good Fight. She served as an assistant director to Michael Arden for the Broadway revival of Once on this Island and A Christmas Carol starring Jefferson Mays. Forthcoming projects include Marvel’s Daredevil: Born Again.
Nikki M. James currently stars as Ida B. Wells in the Tony-winning musical Suffs, for which she was also nominated for a Tony Award. She originated the role of Nabalungi in the Broadway hit musical The Book of Mormon, for which she won the Tony for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Her favorite theater credits include Tony Kushner's A Bright Room Called Day at The Public; Broadway productions of Les Miserables and All Shook Up; The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin with Encores!; Romeo and Juliet and Antony & Cleopatra alongside Christopher Plummer at the Stratford Theater; The Wiz at the La Jolla Playhouse; Julius Caesar and Twelfth Night with Shakespeare in the Park; Bernarda Alba at Lincoln Center; and Preludes with LCT3. Her film and television credits include The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby, Lucky Stiff, BrainDead, Proven Innocent, The Good Wife, Modern Love, Severance, and Spoiler Alert. As a director, she has helmed episodes of The Bite and The Good Fight. She served as an assistant director to Michael Arden for the Broadway revival of Once on this Island and A Christmas Carol starring Jefferson Mays. Forthcoming projects include Marvel’s Daredevil: Born Again.
Max Monnig is a 2024 graduate of the Yale School of Drama, where he performed in productions of The Misanthrope, Measure for Measure, How to Live on Earth, The Winter’s Tale, Ghosts, and more. His additional stage credits include productions at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Monomoy Theater, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Ohio University’s Tantrum Theater, and the Actors Theatre of Louisville in the Humana Festival of New American Plays. His television credits include FBI and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Max Monnig is a 2024 graduate of the Yale School of Drama, where he performed in productions of The Misanthrope, Measure for Measure, How to Live on Earth, The Winter’s Tale, Ghosts, and more. His additional stage credits include productions at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Monomoy Theater, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Ohio University’s Tantrum Theater, and the Actors Theatre of Louisville in the Humana Festival of New American Plays. His television credits include FBI and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Symphony Space's At Play series invites actors, playwrights, and artists to imagine, create, and yes, play. The result? Special evenings that are one-night-only and only at Symphony Space. The idea for the series was created in collaboration with actor–director John Benjamin Hickey and launched with a reading of Neil Simon’s classic Plaza Suite, starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick, directed by Hickey. The evening led to a wildly successful, sold-out Broadway run and a transfer to London's West End.
This program is made possible thanks to the generous support of Susan Bay Nimoy, Seedlings Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller Fund, Charina Endowment Fund, The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, PECO Foundation, Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina, Michael Tuch Foundation, Jody and John Arnhold and the Arnhold Foundation, The Grodzins Fund, and The Isambard Kingdom Brunel Society of North America.
This program is also made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
Symphony Space thanks our generous supporters, including our Board of Directors, Producers Circle, and members, who make our programs possible with their annual support.
Kathy Landau Executive Director
Peg Wreen Managing Director
Isaiah Sheffer*
Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director (1978-1990)
Artistic Director (1990-2010)
Founding Artistic Director (2010-2012)
Allan Miller
Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director (1978-1990)
Jennifer Brennan Director of Literary Programs
Drew Richardson Lead Producer of Literary Programs
Vivienne Woodward Producer of Literary Programs
Mary Shimkin Director of Broadcast & Literary Initiatives
Matthew Love Consultant for Literary Programs
Magdalene Wrobleski Literary Assistant
Leigh Reid Literary Intern
Mia Testa Literary Intern
*in memoriam