For immediate release.
“33 VARIATIONS” CAST, HEADED BY JANE FONDA, IS SET
PREVIEWS BEGIN JANUARY 30, 2011, OPENING IS FEBRUARY 9 AT CTG/AHMANSON
Actors Zach Grenier, Samantha Mathis, Don Amendolia, Susan Kellermann, Greg Keller,
Grant James Varjas, Diane Walsh, Scott Barrow, Caitlin O’Connell and Yvonne Woods Slaten will
join the previously announced Jane Fonda in the Tectonic Theater Project production of “33
Variations,” opening February 9, 2011, at the CTG/Ahmanson Theatre. Previews begin January 30 for
the compelling new play, written and directed by Moisés Kaufman, and performances continue
through March 6.
Fonda, who is a two-time Academy Award-winner, was nominated for the Tony Award for her
role in the 2009 Broadway run of “33 Variations.” The play was nominated for a total of five Tony
Awards, including a nomination for Grenier.
In “33 Variations,” the audience is transported back and forth from present-day New York to
19th century Austria, when a musicologist (Fonda) is determined to solve the musical mystery of why
Beethoven (Grenier) spent his last years feverishly writing 33 variations of what appeared to be a
mediocre waltz.
Diagnosed with a serious disease, the scholar dismisses her daughter’s (Mathis) concerns and
flies to Europe to study Beethoven’s original papers. It is here that a heartfelt and moving story
unfolds of how two remarkable individuals separated by 200 years defy mortality for a short, precious
time and revel in their respective passions.
Praising Jane Fonda’s “robust and confident performance,” Joe Dziemianowicz of the New
York Daily News said, “The Oscar winner brings everything to this role that’s made her an iconic film
star: Pure enthusiasm, toughness tempered by vulnerability, and that distinctive voice which makes
every line fascinating.”
Jane Fonda’s work on stage and screen has earned numerous nominations and awards,
including Academy Awards (Best Actress in 1971 for “Klute” and in 1978 for “Coming Home”) and
an Emmy Award for her performance in “The Dollmaker.” Along with starring roles in dozens of
highly acclaimed productions, Fonda also took on responsibilities as a film and television producer for
-more-
Cast is Set for “33 Variations” at Ahmanson -2
projects, including “Coming Home,” “The China Syndrome,” “Nine to Five,” “Rollover,” “On Golden
Pond,” “The Morning After” and “The Dollmaker.”
Artistic Director of Tectonic Theater Project, Kaufman received Tony Award nominations for
“33 Variations” (Best Play 2009) and for “I Am My Own Wife” (Best Director 2004), and recently
directed the acclaimed “Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo” at the Mark Taper Forum and earlier at the
Kirk Douglas Theatre. He also directed his play “Gross Indecency” at the Taper in 1998.
“33 Variations” is the second production of the 2011 Mark Taper Forum season, though the
play will be presented at the Ahmanson Theatre.
Tickets, which are priced from $20 -- $80, are available by calling Center Theatre Group
Audience Services at (213) 972-4400, in person at the Center Theatre Group box office or on-line at
www.CenterTheatreGroup.org.
# # #
12-13-10
Updated January 21, 2011