The New Group's Reunion Reading Series, featuring original cast members of plays from the company’s first 25 years, continues August 27 at 7 PM ET with Beth Henley's The Jacksonian.
The reading features original cast members including Juliet Brett as Rosy Perch, Ed Harris as Bill Perch, Amy Madigan as Susan Perch, and Bill Pullman as Fred Weber. Carol Kane, replacing the previously announced Jane Krakowski, appears in the role of Eva White, the part originated by the late Glenne Headly.
Set in 1964 in Jackson, Mississippi, 1964 The Jacksonian concerns dentist Bill Perch (Harris), who moves into the Jacksonian Motel when his wife kicks him out. There, his downward spiral is punctuated by encounters with his teenage daughter (Brett), a gold-digging motel employee (Kane), a treacherous bartender (Pullman), and his estranged wife (Madigan). Revolving around the night of a murder, The Jacksonian unearths the eerie tensions and madness in a town poisoned by racism.
The Jacksonian was originally produced by Geffen Playhouse and received its New York premiere as part of The New Group’s 2013–2014 season.
Each of the live readings is paired with a local initiative working to support New Yorkers. For The Jacksonian, 10 percent of the proceeds benefit Race Forward, which catalyzes movement building for racial justice.
The reading is available to watch on demand until August 30 at 11:59 PM ET. Tickets are available at $10 for the first 100 tickets and $25 for all remaining tickets at TheNewGroup.org.
