Elisabeth Moss, who plays secretary-turned-copywriter Peggy Olson in the critically acclaimed TV drama Mad Men, has been tapped to play the pivotal role of Karen in the 20th anniversary revival of David Mamet's Speed-the-Plow. Performances begin October 3, with an official opening set for October 26 at the Belasco Theatre, directed by Neil Pepe.
Like Madonna, who created the role of Karen in the 1988 premiere production of Speed -the-Plow, Moss will be making her Broadway debut, joining previously announced stars Jeremy Piven as film producer Charlie Fox and Raul Esparza as production executive Bobby Gould. The play is Mamet's scathing portrait of the film industry and the people who are willing to sell their souls for sex, fame and fortune.
Moss was nominated for a 2008 SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series for Mad Men, which begins its second season on AMC on July 27. Off-Broadway, she played Franny in Franny's Way and again at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. As a dancer, Moss has performed in The Nutcracker with The Joffrey Ballet and in Sleeping Beauty with the New York City Ballet. Film credits include Buddy Gilbert Comes Alive, Day Zero, The Attic, The Missing, Girl, Interrupted, The Joyriders, A Thousand Acres, Imaginary Crimes and Virgin, for which she was nominated for a 2004 Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead. For seven seasons, she played Zoey Bartlet in The West Wing.
The revival of Speed-the-Plow is being produced by Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel and Steve Traxler, currently represented on Broadway by Tracy Letts' August: Osage County and Spring Awakening.
