Tony nominees Suzanne Bertish (The Moliére Comedies) and Michael Cumpsty (End of the Rainbow), Morgan Spector (Harvey) and more will round out the complete cast of Roundabout's revival of Machinal, written by Sophie Treadwell. Starring previously announced Golden Globe nominee Rebecca Hall, this dramatic tale of murder and execution, directed by Lyndsey Turner, begins previews at Broadway's American Airlines Theatre on December 20, with opening night set for January 16, 2014.
Joining Hall as "Young Woman," Bertish as "Mother," Cumpsty as "Husband" and Spector as "Lover," will be Damian Baldet, Ashley Bell, Jeff Biehl, Arnie Burton, Ryan Dinning, Scott Drummond, Dion Graham, Edward James Hyland, Jason Loughlin, Maria-Christina Oliveras, Daniel Pearce, Henny Russell, Karen Walsh and Michael Warner.
Inspired by the infamous 1927 murder trial of Ruth Snyder, Machinal tells the story of a Young Woman (Hall) who works as a stenographer in the industrial, male-dominated world of the 1920s. She finds her only joy in an illicit love affair, but when reality sets in and she must return to her routine existence, she’ll go to any lengths to regain her freedom.
The creative team for Machinal includes scenic design by Es Devlin, costume design by Michael Krass, lighting design by Jane Cox and sound design by Matt Tierney.
Machinal first premiered on Broadway in 1928 (with a young Clark Gable in his Broadway debut) before opening in London in 1931 under the title The Life Machine. The show received a West End revival in 1993 and earned a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Revival.