John Turturro Subs for Ailing Zoe Caldwell in A Spanish Play

At the February 13 performance of A Spanish Play, John Turturro stepped in as a last-minute replacement for four-time Tony Award winner Zoe Caldwell. Turturro, who directed the production for the Classic Stage Company, put back on his acting shoes for the evening to fill in for Caldwell, who was resting following a small spill she had taken over the weekend, according to a production spokesperson.

In the play, Caldwell plays an actress, who is playing the character of an older Spanish woman having an affair with a building manager Larry Pine. Audience members at the February 13 performance were invited to stay and attend the play with Turturro in Caldwell's role, and also to come back at a later point for free when Caldwell returns. Nearly all of the audience at the sold-out performance took this news in stride and chose to stay on. The producers expect that Caldwell will be back in the production on February 14. She recently spoke with Broadway.com about the show in a Q&A interview.

Turturro's real life wife, Katherine Borowitz, plays the daughter of the character played by Caldwell, so for one unusual performance, Borowitz' mother was played by her husband, and she spent the evening watching her husband have an affair with an older man.