THE PASADENA PLAYHOUSE ANNOUNCES THE CAST
FOR THE WORLD PREMIERE OF
ABOVE THE FOLD STARRING TARAJI P. HENSON
with Arye Gross, Kristopher Higgins, Mark Hildreth,
Kristy Johnson, Joe Massingill, Seamus Mulcahy
January 28 – February 23, 2014 at The Pasadena Playhouse
Opening Night February 2
The cast of Above the Fold will feature Kristy Johnson, who returns to The Pasadena Playhouse in the role of “Monique” after starring in the Playhouse productions of Jitney and Intimate Apparel. Kristy Johnson’s television credits include Hart of Dixie, General Hospital, and House M.D.
The cast of Above the Fold also features Arye Gross as “Marvin,” who is currently performing in Parfumerie at The Wallis in Beverly Hills. Gross is also a series regular on ABC’s Castle and was a series regular on Ellen Show. Kristopher Higgins appears as “Victor”. Higgins’s credits include the upcoming film Devil’s Knot directed by Atom Egoyan and starring Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth. Mark Hildreth, a series regular on Resurrection will play the role of “Lorne”. Joe Massingill , whose credits include series regular on Hart of Dixie, and roles in Epic and Trouble With The Curve will play the role of“Bobby” and Seamus Mulcahy, whose credits include “Killing Lincoln” and “One Fall” will play the role of “Eric”.
Sheldon Epps, Artistic Director of The Pasadena Playhouse, says, "I am tremendously excited about mounting the first production of this play which we developed in our Hothouse series. The play is timely, resonant, hard hitting, and surprising. Bernie writes of a world that he knows very well, so it provides a fascinating insider's look at the intricacies and the sometimes dangerous aspects of the world of journalism. It is always a challenging pleasure to help give birth to new work and I look forward to both the process and to what I know will be the exciting rewards of having this play on our stage."
Above the Fold Director Steven Robman says “ If you've ever wondered how much a news story is affected by the whims and biases of even the most scrupulous reporter, check out this play.”
Bernard Weinraub, author of Above the Fold, adds “All the actors, led by Taraji, give such depth and meaning to their roles. They're supremely talented. And I'm deeply grateful to every one of them.”
Taraji Henson earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress opposite Brad Pitt in David Fincher’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Taraji is a 2011 Emmy nominee for Best Actress in a Movie or Miniseries for Lifetime’s Taken From Me. She starred as Detective Joss Carter in the highly rated J.J. Abrams crime drama Person of Interest for CBS opposite Jim Caviezel and Michael Emerson. Taraji stared in the major hit Think Like a Man, which opened to #1 at the box office and just completed Think Like a Man Too. She will next star in Sony’s No Good Deed opposite Idris Elba which opens in September 2014.
In Larry Crowne she co-starred with star and director Tom Hanks alongside Julia Roberts and Cedric the Entertainer. She starred in the hugely successful The Karate Kid opposite Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan and in Date Night with Tina Fey and Steve Carrell. For her role in Tyler Perry’s I Can Do Bad All By Myself, she received the 2009 Diversity Award for Best Actress. She also starred in the upcoming Peep World playing Rainn Wilson’s love interest; The Good Doctor with Orlando Bloom and Once Fallen costarring Ed Harris.
Henson received rave reviews for her role in Focus Features’ Talk to Me opposite Don Cheadle. She costarred in the ensemble action drama Smokin’ Aces with Ben Affleck and Alicia Keys. Henson was named Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Feature Film by the Black Movie Awards and received the BET Best Actress nod for her performance as Shug in the gutsy drama Hustle & Flow also starring Terrence Howard. She starred in Sony’s Not Easily Broken opposite Morris Chestnut, opposite Forest Whitaker in Hurricane Season, and with Kathy Bates in Tyler Perry’s The Family That Preys.
Henson made her singing debut in Hustle & Flow and performed the Academy Award-winning song, “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp,” on the Oscar telecast. She reunited for the third time with John Singleton to film Four Brothers with Mark Wahlberg and Andre 3000 for Paramount. Henson costarred with Simon Baker and Sanaa Lathan in Focus Features’ Something New. Henson is well remembered for her role as Yvette opposite Tyrese Gibson in Baby Boy.
Taraji was a series regular on David E. Kelley’s Boston Legal and recurred on ABC’s Eli Stone. She was featured in Jamie Foxx’s video, “Just Like Me,” and also appeared in Estelle’s video, “Pretty Please.”
Above the Fold tells the story of Jane, an African-American newspaper reporter from New York, who flies to a Southern university where three white fraternity boys have been accused of raping a young African-American woman. Taking place amidst the shift from print to digital journalism Above the Fold asks tough questions about the exploitation of tragedy, the cost of success and the dangers that come when ambition collides with truth. Above the Fold began as a HOTHOUSE at The Playhouse staged reading.
Above the Fold will play January 28 – February 23, 2014. The Pasadena Playhouse is located at 39 South El Molino Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101. The performance schedule is Tuesday through Friday at 8:00 p.m.; Saturday at 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.; and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Tickets are available by calling The Pasadena Playhouse at 626-356-7529 or by visiting The Pasadena Playhouse Box Office, Tuesday – Sunday from 1:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. during non-performance dates. On performance dates the Box Office is open Tuesday – Saturday from 1:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, visit www.PasadenaPlayhouse.org.
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