Melissa Leo Joins Zachary Quinto and Frank Wood in Benefit Reading of Side Man

Oscar winner Melissa Leo (The Fighter, Mildred Pierce) has joined the cast of Naked Angels and Guild Hall's forthcoming staged reading of Warren Leight's Tony-winning play Side Man. The one-night-only event takes place on August 28 at Guild Hall in East Hampton, directed by Geoffrey Nauffts. Proceeds will benefit Naked Angels' ongoing development of new work.

The reading also stars Zachary Quinto (Star Trek, Angels in America) as Cliff, as well as Side Man's original Broadway cast members Jeff Binder as Al, Kevin Geer as Jonesy, Michael Mastro as Ziggy, Angelica Torn as Patsy and Frank Wood (who received a Tony Award for his work) as Gene. Leo will play troubled wife Terry, a role originated off-Broadway by Edie Falco and first played on Broadway by Wendy Makkena.

Side Man follows a jazz musician (Wood) struggling to save both his fading career and troubled home life during the dawn of rock 'n roll in America. Originally directed by Michael Mayer, the play was developed at Naked Angels before opening at off-Broadway's Classic Stage Company in March 1998. Side Man transferred to Broadway and opened on June 25, 1998, going on to play 517 performances in two theaters. In addition to Tony wins for the play and Wood, the drama was nominated for the 1999 Pulitzer Prize.