Ailing Star Eileen Atkins Still Unable to Make Doubt Debut

Atkins last appeared on Broadway during the 2003-2004 season in The Retreat from Moscow. She has received Best Actress Tony nominations for her work in that show, The Killing of Sister George, Vivat! Vivat! Regina! and Indiscretions. Her other Broadway credits include The Promise and The Night of the Tribades. Her off-Broadway credits include A Room of One's Own Lucille Lortel and Obie Awards, The Unexpected Man and Vita & Virginia, a two-person play she wrote about the writers Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf. Considered to be one of England's best legit actresses, Atkins won the Evening Standard Award for Best Actress for her performances in The Killing of Sister George and A Delicate Balance and an Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Peter Hall's production of The Winter's Tale. A busy film actress, she will be seen later this year in Ask the Dust.

Atkins and Ron Eldard and Jena Malone were expected to start performances in Doubt on January 10, but they were all too ill to perform. The January 10 performance featured returning cast member Adriane Lenox appearing alongside understudies Lizbeth MacKay, Stevie Ray Dallimore and Nadia Bowers. Eldard and Malone played their first performance at the January 11 matinee. MacKay will continue playing Sister Aloysius until Atkins can start.