In 1948, Gurney, then a young boarding school student, traveled to New York where he attended a performance of Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra, going backstage afterwards to meet the production's star, the great stage actress Katharine Cornell. A mix of remembrance and imagination, the play is a love letter to this fabled actress and a heartfelt look back at the glorious heyday of Broadway.

Gurney's many plays include Sylvia, The Dining Room, and The Cocktail Hour, and his plays Far East, Ancestral Voices and Big Bill were all produced by Lincoln Center Theater.

Lamos, who is currently artistic director of the Westport Country Playhouse, has directed LCT's productions of Big Bill, Cymbeline, Measure for Measure, The Rivals and Edward Albee's Seascape.