Broadway World.com - 08/Sep/2011

[Source]

Luke Macfarlane to Play Title Role in City Theatre's SAM BENDRIX AT THE BON SOIR
Thursday, September 8, 2011; Posted: 09:09 AM - by Alexandra Strycula

The drinks and the music flow at the legendary Bon Soir. In 1958 Greenwich Village, a young singer and his band take the stage for a final performance before he quits New York City forever. While a chair he's holding for a special someone sits empty all night, Sam Bendrix tells a classic tale of an era not yet ready for the revolutionary changes on the horizon.

City Theatre has announced that Luke MacFarlane, star of ABC's hit series Brothers & Sisters, will perform the title role in the world premiere of Keith Bunin's SAM BENDRIX AT THE BON SOIR. Mark Rucker will direct the play, also featuring music by legendary songwriters like Cole Porter, Leonard Bernstein and the Gershwins. SAM BENDRIX AT THE BON SOIR plays on City Theatre's intimate Hamburg Studio Stage November 12 - December 18, 2011. The Opening Night performance is Friday, November 18 at 8 pm.

Mr. Macfarlane recently playEd Scotty Wendell on ABC's Brothers & Sisters and appeared in the 2011 Broadway production of THE NORMAL HEART. Audiences will also recognize him from FX's Over There and the feature film Kinsey.


"Sam Bendrix requires an actor loaded with charisma and charm," states City Theatre Artistic Director Tracy Brigden, "someone who can tell an emotional story, and - most importantly - someone who can perform these wonderful songs. Luke's magnetic star power on the very intimate Hamburg stage is going to make for an unforgettable evening of theatre."

City Theatre will announce the entire production team, including musicians and designers, shortly.

Tickets are available at 412.431.CITY (2489) or CityTheatreCompany.org. Single tickets start at $30.

City Theatre is Pittsburgh's largest producing company located outside of downtown's Cultural District. Now in its 37th year and settled on Pittsburgh's historic South Side, City Theatre specializes in contemporary and new plays and has brought to Pittsburgh playwrights such as Adam Rapp, Christopher Durang, Eric Simonson, and Jeffrey Hatcher. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Tracy Brigden, Managing Director Mark R. Power, and a 45-member Board of Directors, City Theatre's mission is to provide an artistic home for the development and production of contemporary plays of substance and ideas that engage and challenge a diverse audience.