Opening Date Set for Beth Henley’s The Jacksonian, Starring Ed Harris, Bill Pullman & More

Final casting and production dates have been set for The New Group’s off-Broadway premiere of The Jacksonian, the latest work by Pulitzer Prize winner Beth Henley. The play will begin previews on October 25 at the Acorn Theatre on Theatre Row, with opening night set for November 7, directed by Robert Falls. The limited engagement will continue through December 15.

Joining previously announced stars Ed Harris, Glenne Headly, Amy Madigan and Bill Pullman will be Juliet Brett, who makes her off-Broadway debut.

Set in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1964, The Jacksonian tells the story of respectable dentist Bill Perch (Harris), who moves into the seedy Jacksonian Motel after his wife kicks him out. His downward spiral is punctuated by encounters with his teenage daughter (Brett), a gold-digging motel employee (Headly), a treacherous bartender (Pullman) and his now estranged wife (Madigan, who is married to Harris in real life). Revolving around the night of a murder, The Jacksonian unearths the eerie tensions and madness in a town poisoned by racism.

Henley’s play premiered in February 2012 at L.A.’s Geffen Playhouse in an extended engagement starring Harris, Headly, Madigan, Pullman and Bess Rous in the role to be played by Brett.

The Jacksonian will feature set design by Walt Spangler, costume design by Ana Kuzmanic, lighting design by Daniel Ionazzi, and original music and sound design by Richard Woodbury.