Estelle Parsons to Direct Johnny Johnson Concert

Estelle Parsons will direct ReGroup Theatre’s concert reading of Paul Green and Kurt Weill’s Johnny Johnson, to be offered on December 12 at 7pm at The 47th Street Theater.

Ken Marks will serve as the musical director of the performance, which is being presented as part of the company’s ongoing series that explores pieces originally produced by The Group Theatre.Casting will be announced in the near future.

The piece centers on a big-hearted innocent named Johnny Johnson, the most common name of the killed American soldier in World War I, who during a celebration of peace, finds out that a new war has broken out. Against his instincts, Johnny enlists, befriends the other side, but his valiant efforts to end the war peacefully are defeated by bureaucracy.

Parsons won an Oscar for her performance in Bonnie and Clyde. She received Tony Award nominations for her performances in Morning’s at Seven, Miss Margarida’s Way, And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little, and The Seven Descents of Myrtle.

Admission is free, but reservations are required by calling (212) 340-1054 or emailing RSVP@ReGroupTheatre.org.