Sally Field to Make Her Broadway Debut in The Goat

You liked her, you really, really liked her in lots of movies and on television; but two-time Oscar winner Sally Field will be making her Broadway debut when she takes over the leading female role in Edward Albee’s Tony Award-winning play The Goat at the Golden Theatre, beginning September 13. Field is stepping into the part created by Mercedes Ruehl, who received a Tony nomination for her efforts.

Playing opposite Field will be Bill Irwin, replacing Bill Pullman. The controversial play concerns the undestandably violent reaction of a happily married woman when she learns that her husband is in love with a goat. Jeffrey Carlson and Stephen Rowe will continue in the roles of the couple’s son and best friend, respectively.

Field scored Best Actress Oscars for her performances in Places in the Heart and Norma Rae. She won an Emmy for her title role in the TV movie Sybil and, much more recently, got another Emmy for her performance on E.R. as a woman suffering from bipolar disorder. She made her feature film directorial debut with Beautiful, starring Minnie Driver.

In 1999, Bill Irwin shared a special Tony Award for Fool Moon with co-star and co-creator David Shiner. His other New York stage work includes Largely New York, The Regard of Flight, Scapin, and Waiting for Godot. Among his film credits are Scenes from a Mall, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Popeye and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and he has been seen on television in Third Rock from the Sun, Northern Exposure, The Cosby Show, and HBO’s The Laramie Project.

The Goat won Best Play honors from the New York Drama Critics Circle, the Drama Desk, and the Outer Critics Circle in addition to the Tony Award. The production is directed by David Esbjornson.