The Ticket Man Loves Broadway's Revival of Come Back, Little Sheba

I happen to get lucky enough to get some excellent orchestra seats to a revival of a play called Come Back, Little Sheba, a Manhattan Theatre Club production, currently in previews at New York's Biltmore Theatre. What a great night at the theatre and let me tell you why.

First of all, the female lead is played by S. Epatha Merkerson who has been one of the stars of television's Law and Order for about 15 years now. She plays Lola, a former and aging beauty queen unfortunately trapped in a lonely marriage to Doc, a one time alcoholic that is on the brink of another relapse.

Doc is played by Kevin Anderson who has played on Broadway several times, also having been nominated for a Tony Award for his performance in Death of a Salesmen , as well as having starred in many films, most notably playing opposite Julia Roberts in Sleeping With The Enemy.

Enter Marie, a pretty young boarder of Lola and Doc's. Marie is played by Zoe Kazan, who starred most recently in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. Her youth and excitement for romance in her life remind the older Midwest couple of their own when they first met and also that their marriage is pretty much barren right now.

The play was written by William Inge (1913-1973) as he takes an emotional look at Doc and Lola's lost hopes and dreams and manages to get us all to sit on the edge of our seats wondering what will happen to this lonely couple as the story unfolds.

In addition to the 3 stars, all the supporting actors do a great job in this show. Lyle Kanouse plays the Postman, Brian J. Smith stars as Turk, Brenda Wehle plays the next door neighbor Mrs. Coffman and Matthew J. Williamson plays the role of the Milkman.The show is directed by Michael Pressman. It was Pressman (director of Come Back, Little Sheba) , while directing an episode of Law and Order that S. Epatha Merkerson was starring in, who had asked her to play Lola in the revival of this show. He had known that although Merkerson was a television star for a long time now, that she had made her start as a stage actor and wanted to get back to Broadway. He made a great choice in casting Merkerson in this role of an emotionally broken women.

The play goes by quickly. The story line is well developed, acting superb while the lighting and scenic design all create the just the right atmosphere for the Midwestern times of the 1950's. This show is a part of the Manhattan Theater Club's subscription series and only plays until March 16, 2008. So don't wait, get a ticket for this terrific show on our web site or call the Applause Broadway Ticket Experts at 212-307-7050 or 1-800-451-9930 when you get a chance.

For a limited time only there are a limited number of "insider priced" tickets in the orchestra section of the Biltmore Theatre in New York City. Enjoy the show.

Rich Gladstone
aka THE TICKET MAN