Tom Wopat Will Star in Flea’s Limited Run of The Guys

Tom Wopat will star in a limited run of Anne Nelson’s The Guys at The Flea Theater, September 11-23. The show, which is being presented in commemoration of the 9/11/01 tragedy, will be directed by Thomas Kail.

Wopat will play the role of Nick, a fire captain who lost his crew of men in the World Trade Center attacks of 9/11. Grace Gonglewski will play Joan, a journalist who helps Nick to write the eulogies he must deliver in the wake of the tragedy. At certain performances, these roles will be played by Tim Cummings and Irene Walsh, who appeared in the show’s original 2001 production. The design team includes Kyle Chepulis (set and lights) and Claudia Brown (costumes).

Nelson, an award-winning author, playwright, and teacher, wrote The Guys in 2001, based on her experience with a New York City fire captain after the 9/11 attacks. The original production, directed by the Flea’s artistic director Jim Simpson, starred Bill Murray and Sigourney Weaver (Simpson’s wife); they were followed by numerous stars, including Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins. The film version, directed by Simpson, starred Weaver and Anthony LaPaglia, who also appeared in the stage production.

Wopat received a Tony nomination for his performance as Frank Butler in Annie Get Your Gun and a Drama Desk Award for his work in Glengarry Glen Ross. He has also starred on Broadway in Chicago, Guys and Dolls, and City of Angels, and he is well known to television viewers for his starring role in The Dukes of Hazzard. Gonglewski most recently appeared in The Beard of Avon at the Cape Playhouse in Cape Cod; she is a recipient of four Barrymore Awards, the F. Otto Haas Award, and the Dorothy Haas Fellowship.