Theater News

Bruce Davison to Star in Come Back, Little Sheba

Bruce Davison
Bruce Davison

Bruce Davison will co-star opposite S. Epatha Merkerson in William Inge’s classic drama Come Back, Little Sheba at L.A.’s Kirk Douglas Theatre, June 17-July 15. The production, which will open on June 24, will be directed by Michael Pressman. Additional casting will be announced shortly.

The show focuses on Lola (Merkerson), a woman a caught in a stale 25-year marriage to the alcoholic Doc (Davison) — a relationship that changes when the couple takes in Marie, a beautiful young boarder.

The play opened on Broadway in 1950, where it ran for 190 performances; it won Tony Awards for Shirley Booth as Lola and Sidney Blackmer as Doc. Booth also won the Oscar for the 1952 film version, which co-starred Burt Lancaster and Terry Moore. The 1977 television version starred Joanne Woodward, Sir Laurence Olivier, and Carrie Fisher.

Davison’s Broadway credits include The Elephant Man and The Glass Menagerie. His many film credits including Longtime Companion, Short Cuts, Six Degrees of Separation and the X-Men series. Merkerson’s stage credits include The Piano Lesson, F…ing A, Birdie Blue, and Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill. She won the Emmy, Golden Globe, and SAG Awards for the HBO film Lackawanna Blues, and is best known for her long-running role as Lt. Anita Van Buren on Law & Order.