Theater News

Andrew McCarthy Set to Play James Tyrone, Jr. in A Moon for the Misbegotten at McCarter Theatre

Andrew McCarthy
Andrew McCarthy

Andrew McCarthy, Kathleen McNenny, and Jack Willis head the cast of the upcoming McCarter Theatre production of Eugene O’Neill’s A Moon for the Misbegotten, January 13-February 19. The show, which will also feature Jeremiah Wiggins and Peter Scanavino, is being directed by Gary Griffin.

The play focuses on big-boned Josie Hogan (McNenny), her hard-drinking father Phil (Willis), and James Tyrone Jr. (McCarthy), an alcoholic dreamer, who do battle with themselves and each other during the course of one whiskey-soaked night. A Moon for the Misbegotten was first produced on Broadway in 1957 with Wendy Hiller, Franchot Tone, and Cyril Cusack in the leads. It has had three Broadway revivals: in 1973 with Colleen Dewhurst, Jason Robards, and Ed Flanders; in 1984 with Kate Nelligan, Ian Bannen, and Jerome Kilty; and in 2000 with Cherry Jones, Gabriel Byrne, and Roy Dotrice.

McCarthy has been seen on the New York stage in Side Man and Fat Pig, and has appeared in numerous films and TV shows including Pretty in Pink, St. Elmo’s Fire, and Kingdom Hospital. McNenny’s Broadway credits include the Roundabout Theatre productions of The Constant Wife and After The Fall. Willis has been seen on Broadway in Julius Caesar, The Crucible, and Art. Griffin, who recently made his Broadway directorial debut with The Color Purple, has helmed major productions of such shows as My Fair Lady, Pacific Overtures, The New Moon, and Beautiful Thing.