Laurie Metcalf Officially Set for Brighton Beach Memoirs and Broadway Bound

It's now official: Laurie Metcalf will star in the upcoming Broadway revivals of Neil Simon’s autobiographical plays Brighton Beach Memoirs and Broadway Bound. According to The New York Times, Metcalf will play Kate Jerome, mother of the Jerome household. Brighton Beach starts rehearsals August 15 and will begin previews in September at a Nederlander Theatre to be announced, with an opening set for mid-October. Broadway Bound is aiming to follow in mid-December. Thereafter, the plays will run in repertory, both directed by David Cromer.

Metcalf made her New York stage debut in Steppenwolf’s acclaimed production of Balm in Gilead. She later appeared off-Broadway in Bodies, Rest and Motion and Educating Rita, then on Broadway in My Thing of Love. Her Steppenwolf credits include Libra, My Thing of Love, Educating Rita, You Can't Take It With You, Coyote Ugly and The Glass Menagerie. The winner of three Emmy Awards for Roseanne, Metcalf has also appeared on TV's Desperate Housewives.

Brighton Beach Memoirs and Broadway Bound are the first and third parts of an autobiograpical trilogy by Neil Simon that also included Biloxi Blues. Elizabeth Franz received a Tony nomination as Kate Jerome in Brighton Beach Memoirs and Linda Lavin won a Best Actress Tony in the same role in Broadway Bound.

Chicago-based director Cromer is currently playing the Stage Manager in his off-Broadway production of Our Town at the Barrow Street Theatre.