Mulgrew, Caulfield, Nielsen Among Cast of Charles Busch's Our Leading Lady

Full casting has been announced for Manhattan Theatre Club's world-premiere of Charles Busch's Our Leading Lady at New York City Center Stage II. The production, directed by MTC artistic director Lynne Meadow who collaborated with Busch on the hit comedy The Tale of the Allergist's Wife, begins previews on February 22, 2007, and is scheduled to open off-Broadway on March 20.

The cast, in alphabetical order, includes Reed Birney Gavin DeChamblay, Barbara Bryne Maude Bentley, Maxwell Caulfield Harry Hawk, Ann Duquesnay Madame Wu-Chan, J.R. Horne Major Hopwood, Kate Mulgrew Laura Keene, Kristine Nielsen Verbena Morris, Amy Rutberg Clementine Smith and Billy Wheelan W.J. Ferguson.

In Our Leading Lady, Laura Keene Mulgrew, a 19th-century American stage luminary, prepares to perform at Ford's Theatre on the fateful night when Abraham Lincoln is in the audience.

Birney most recently appeared off-Broadway in Stuff Happens. Other New York credits include Bug, The Butterfly Connection, Loose Knit, The Family of Mann, Gemini, Herself As Lust, An Imaginary Life, The Common Pursuit, Volunteer Men, Bedfellows, Minor Demons and The Exact Center of the Universe. Regional credits include The Lisbon Traviata, Hotel Suite and Black Forest.

Bryne played Jack's mother in the original Broadway production of Into the Woods and appeared in the original Broadway cast of Sunday in the Park With George, the recent Kennedy Center revival of A Little Night Music and McCarter Theatre's recent revival of The Birthday Party. She and Caulfield co-starred in Entertaining Mr. Sloane.

Caulfield most recently starred off-Broadway in Tryst. On Broadway, he appared in An Inspector Calls. Other off-Broadway credits include Entertaining Mr. Sloane with Bryne, My Night With Reg and Salonica. His numerous film and TV credits include Grease 2, The Boys Next Door, Empire Records, Dynasty, The Colbys and All My Children.

Duquesnay recently starred on Broadway in Hot Feet and won a Tony Award for Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk. Other Broadway credits include Jelly's Last Jam, The Wiz and Blues in the Night.

Horne's New York stage credits include the Broadway revival of The Crucible, Everybody's Ruby, The Skin of Our Teeth, Inherit the Wind, Abe Lincoln in Illinois, The Joy of Going Somewhere Definite, Rhinoceros, Little Egypt, The Night Hank Williams Died and The Showoff.

Mulgrew played Katharine Hepburn off-Broadway in Tea at Five and co-starred with Marian Seldes in the Ahmanson Theatre's revival of The Royal Family. Other stage credits on stages around the country include Black Comedy, Titus Andronicus, The Film Society, What the Butler Saw, Hedda Gabler and Measure for Measure. Mulgrew created the role of Captain Kathryn Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager and had leading roles on television in Ryan's Hope and Mrs. Columbo.

Nielsen's MTC credits include Based on a Totally True Story, Wonder of the World and Comic Potential. Broadway credits include The Green Bird, Jackie: An American Life, The Iceman Cometh and A Streetcar Named Desire. Off-Broadway credits include Miss Witherspoon, Omnium Gatherum, The Underpants, Betty's Summer Vacation and Dog Opera.

Rutberg's credits include Bat Boy, The Civil War, Dracula, The Pajama Game, My Fair Lady, Man of La Mancha and The Rocky Horror Show.

Wheelan's credits include The Butcherhouse Chronicles, In Between The Sheets, Sleeping Beauty: A Comic Panto and Tusk.

The design team for Our Leading Lady will include Santo Loquasto Set Design, Jane Greenwood Costume Design, Brian MacDevitt Lighting Design, and Scott Lehrer Sound Design.