Jessica Hecht to Join Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Saarsgard in Three Sisters at Classic Stage

Tony nominee Jessica Hecht will join previously announced husband-and-wife movie stars Maggie Gyllenhaal (Crazy Heart) and Peter Sarsgaard (An Education) in the Classic Stage Company production of Chekhov’s Three Sisters, directed by Austin Pendleton. Performances will begin January 12, 2011 ahead of a February 3 opening.

In addition to Gyllenhaal as Masha and Sarsgaard as Vershinin, Hecht (who will play Olga) joins a cast that includes Josh Hamilton (Andre), Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Tuesenbach), Glenn Fitzgerald (Solyony), Roberta Maxwell (Anfisa), Louis Zorich (Chebutykin), George Morfogen (Ferapont), Paul Lazar (Kulygin), Gabriel Bettio (Rode) and James Patrick Nelson (Fedotik).

Mamie Gummer, previously announced to play the role of Irina, withdrew from the production due to a scheduling conflict. Casting for the roles of Irina and Natasha will be announced shortly.

Hecht’s Broadway credits include Brighton Beach Memoirs, Julius Caesar, After the Fall, The Last Night of Ballyhoo and A View From the Bridge, for which she earned a Tony Award nomination. Off-Broadway she has appeared in Make Me, Howard Katz , The House in Town, Flesh & Blood, The Fourth Sister, Lobster Alice and Stop Kiss, among others. She can currently be seen on HBO series Bored to Death.

The creative team for Three Sisters will include set design by Walt Spangler, costume design by Marco Piemontese, lighting design by Keith Parham, sound design and original music by Christian Frederickson and Ryan Rumery and hair design by Paul Huntley. The production will feature a translation by Paul Schmidt.