Judith Ivey Will Direct Beth Broderick in Laguna’s Bad Dates

Beth Broderick, star of the television sitcoms The Five Mrs. Buchanans and Sabrina the Teenage Witch, will star in the Southern California premiere of Theresa Rebeck’s comedy Bad Dates at the Laguna Playhouse, September 13-October 16. The production will be directed by Judith Ivey, who also starred in The Five Mrs. Buchanans.

Bad Dates centers on Haley, a recent divorcée with a 14-year-old and a shoe fetish, who re-enters the world of dating; it was first produced at Playwrights Horizons in 2003 starring Julie White. Rebeck’s other plays include Omnium Gatherum (co-written with Alexandra Gersten-Vasillaros), Spike Heels, and Loose Knit.

Broderick’s stage work includes productions of Carnal Knowledge and Stage Door. She has been seen in such films as Psycho Beach Party, Stealing Silverman, and Fools Rush In, and she currently has a recurring role on the Emmy-nominated drama series Lost.

Ivey won Tony Awards for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performances in Hurlyburly and Steaming. She was most recently seen on stage as Martha Mitchell in Dirty Tricks at the Public Theater and in her solo show Women on Fire, which will tour the country this season. Her directing credits include the Alley Theater production of Steel Magnolias and the Off-Broadway production of Yeardley Smith’s solo show More.