Jennifer Jason Leigh to Headline Abigail's Party Off-Broadway

Leigh made her Broadway debut in Cabaret as Sally Bowles and has since starred on the Great White Way in Proof. Her other theater credits include Picnic at the Ahmanson Theater and Sunshine at Circle Rep. Leigh is best known for her film work. She won the New York Film Critics Circle and the Boston Society of Film Critics Awards for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Last Exit to Brooklyn and Miami Blues. Her portrayal of Dorothy Parker in the film Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle won her the National Society of Film Critics award for Best Actress and netted her a Golden Globe nomination. Her other film credits include The Jacket, Childster, In the Cut, Road to Perdition, The Anniversary Party which she starred in, co-wrote and co-directed with Alan Cumming, Georgia, Existenz, Washington Square, Kansas City, Delores Claiborne, Single White Female, Rush, and Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

Set in London in the 1970s, Abigail's Party centers on a group of neighbors gathered for an evening of drink and drama. The play is a biting look at the suburban middle-class.

The New Group mounting, directed by Artistic Director Scott Elliott, is scheduled to open in November. The New Group season will then continue with the world premiere of Wallace Shawn's The Music Teacher, a play-opera featuring music by Allen Shawn.