Matthew Modine, Jennifer Morrison and Elizabeth Franz Join The Miracle Worker

Matthew Modine, Jennifer Morrison and Elizabeth Franz have joined the cast of the forthcoming Broadway revival of William Gibson’s The Miracle Worker, alongside previously announced stars Abigail Breslin as Helen Keller and Alison Pill as Annie Sullivan. The play will staged in the round at Circle in the Square Theatre, with previews beginning February 12, 2010, and opening night set for March 3, directed by Kate Whoriskey. Additional casting will be announced shortly.

Set in Alabama in the 1880s, The Miracle Worker tells the story of Keller, the blind and deaf girl who drew up to win the Medal of Freedom. After losing her sight and hearing at 19 months, Keller developed a deep bond with the Sullivan, the extraordinary teacher who taught her to communicate with the world.

Winner of the 1960 Tony Award for Best Play, The Miracle Worker earned Anne Bancroft a Best Actress Tony for playing Sullivan and a Theatre World Award for newcomer Patty Duke for playing Keller. Both actresses received Academy Awards for their work in the feature film adaptation.

Modine, who will make his Broadway debut in The Miracle Worker as Captain Keller, recently starred in the Hartford Stage production of To Kill a Mockingbird. His 50 films include Birdy, Married to the Mob, Vision Quest, Full Metal Jacket, Orphans, Pacific Heights and Any Given Sunday. He received an Emmy nomination for HBO’s And the Band Played On and starred at L.A.’s Geffen Playhouse in the satirical Matthew Modine Saves the Alpacas.

Morrison will also make her Broadway debut in The Miracle Worker as Kate Keller. Best known for her role as Dr. Allison Cameron on the popular TV series House M.D., she recently played Captain Kirk’s mother in the feature film Star Trek. Other films include Intersection, Stir of Echoes, Gring, Surviving Christmas and Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

Franz (Aunt Ev) received a Tony Award for playing Linda Loman opposite Brian Dennehy in Death of a Salesman and was nominated for Tonys for Brighton Beach Memoirs and Morning’s at Seven. Her Broadway credits include Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, The Cherry Orchard, The Octette Bridge Club, The Cemetery Club, Getting Married and Uncle Vanya. Her many off-Broadway credits include an acclaimed performance in the title role of Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You and a Lucille Lortel Award-winning performance in The Piano Teacher.

The Miracle Worker is being produced by David Richenthal, Eric Falkenstein and Randall Wreghitt.