Lucky Guy

 
Lucky Guy is a New York play written by three-time Academy nominated Nora Ephron, directed by two-time winner of Tony Award George C. Wolfe, and mostly excitingly starring two-times winner of the Academy Awards, Tom Hanks. The play marks Ephron’s come-back to her journalistic roots by centering on a New York from the eighties that is ridden with graffiti and scandals, as narrated through the story of the controversial and charismatic tabloid columnist Mike McAlary. The writer won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize only sometime before he met an untimely death at the end of 1998. The show is filled with a star-studded cast including in addition to Hanks, the likes of Maura Tierney as Alice McAlary, Christopher McDonald as Eddie Hayes, Peter Gerety as John Cotter, Courtney B. Vance as Hap Hairston, Peter Scolari as Michael Daly, Richard Masur as Stanley Joyce/Jerry Nachman, Brian Dykstra as Brian O’Regan, Michael Gaston as Jim Dwyer, Dustyn Gulledge as Dino Tortoricci, Deirdre Lovejoy as Debie Krenek/Louise Imerman, Danny Mastrogiorgio as Bob Dury, Stephen Tyrone Williams as Abner Louima, Paula Jon DeRose as Alice McAlary, Debbie Krenek/ Louise Imerman, Joe Forbich as Boh Drury and Eddie Hayes, Michael Hammond as Daly/Drury, McAlary and Marc Damon Johnson as Abner Louima/ Hap Hairston. The play marks Hanks’ debut on Broadway alongside many other recognized artists, making Lucky Guy tickets some of the most popular topics of town talk among theatre-goers.
Nora Ephron, the playwright of Lucky Guy, is best known as one the most respected screenwriters of the industry who turned her attention to directing in 1992. She featured her first film with Twentieth Century Fox feature This is My Life with prominent cast member Julie Kavner. Soon enough, Ephron directed another film by 1993 called Sleepless in Seattle by TriStar, which was a hit romantic film starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, and grossed an overwhelming two hundred million dollars from all over the world. This was followed by the comedy flick Mixed Nuts with protagonist Steve Martin, which was soon followed by the film called Michael, starring Andie McDowell, John Travolta and William Hurt. The director of the upcoming play, George C. Wolfe has gained recognition for contributing to The Normal Heart for which he won a Drama Desk Award, and Jelly’s Last Jam, which brought him an Outer Critics as well as a Drama Desk Award.  He also directed Angels in America- Approach of the Millennium,  which brought him a Drama Desk and Tony Award; Perestroika which won him a Drama Desk; Bring in ‘DA Funk, Bring in ‘Da Noise that won him a Drama League and Tony Award; and Underdog/Topdog that won him an incredible Obie Award, among many other works and accolades.
In Lucky Guy the main character of Mike McAlary is played by Tom Hanks who made his stage debut with The Taming of the Shrew, in which he portrayed Grumio at Cleveland’s famous Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival. He continued to perform with the company for several seasons, following which he relocated to NYC in 1978 to work with Riverside Shakespeare Company. Many of his films include Forrest Gump (that brought him an Oscar), That Thing You Do!, Sleepless in Seattle, Philadelphia (which won him another Oscar) and Splash, among many notable others. The character of Alice McAlary is played by Maura Tierney whose theatre credits include Some Girls by Neil LaBute, which was performed at Lucille Lortel Theater, alongside the likes of Eric McCormack, Fran Drescher, Dylan McDermott, Nicky Silver, Brooke Smith and Judy Reyes.
Lucky Guy stars many film stars such as Christopher McDonald, Peter Gerety, and Courtney B. Vance, all of whom have worked in many theatre pieces but have also appeared extensively in feature films. This upcoming performance of Lucky Guy is expected to be a piece of insightful comedy that resonates in apart with everyone. It is a play not to be missed, so hurry and grab some Lucky Guy tickets before they are all out.