For Immediate Release:
Contact: David Kuehn, Executive Director
Cotuit Center for the Arts
Phone: (508) 428-0669
Email: David@cotuitcenterforthearts.org
Website: ArtsOnTheCape.org
“I’ll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers” at Cotuit Center for the Arts
Cotuit Center for the Arts presents “I’ll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers,” a comedy by John
Logan, in the Black Box Theater September 10 to 27. Performances are Thursday through Saturday at
8 PM and Sunday at 4 PM.
Susan Winslow stars as Sue Mengers, who was one the most powerful Hollywood agents from the
1960s through the 1980s. She represented Barbra Streisand, Faye Dunaway, Burt Reynolds, Ali
MacGraw, Gene Hackman, Cher, Candice Bergen, Ryan O’Neal, Nick Nolte, Mike Nichols, Gore Vidal,
Bob Fosse, and many more.
Mike Wallace interviewed her on “60 Minutes” in 1975, describing her as “deliciously uninhibited”
and “delightful to manipulative to funny to aggressive.”
“Sue’s clients were the biggest stars of the day,” said director Mary Arnault. “Julie Harris was her first
client, and, to Sue’s surprise, she wanted to be on ‘Bonanza.’
“Sue made it happen. She was a bit of a chameleon, reading Chekhov and poetry to be able to talk to
Julie, and sipping tea while on the phone with producer—because it’s Julie Harris,” said Arnault. “She
noticed Barbra Streisand before anyone else did. She was very smart, a pro at what she did.”
The play takes place in 1981 at Mengers’s house as she is waiting for guests to arrive. “She was
known for her gala dinner parties; she would gather together directors, actors, and producers at
these lavish events, and it was a lot of fun, a lot of gossip, a lot of dish, yet, at the same time, a lot of
connections were being made,” said Arnault.
Susan Winslow recently appeared in “33 Variations” at Cotuit Center for the Arts, which Arnault
directed, and has appeared in many shows at Cape Rep.
“Sue is a wonderful actress, and I always jump at the chance to work with her,” said Arnault. “She is
doing a fantastic job with this role, and I always look forward to our rehearsals.”
The Black Box is well-suited for this one-woman play. The set is simple: a couch, a carpet, and a table
with “decanters of various liquids and an ashtray, of course,” said Arnaut. “Mengers talks directly to
the audience, breaking the fourth wall, and the Black Box is the perfect place for such an intimate
show.”
Arnault cautioned that the play comes with the warning: “This play contains profanity, smoking,
alcohol, drug use and gossip.”
“I’ll Eat You Last” opened on Broadway in 2013, with Bette Midler in the role of Mengers. John Logan,
the playwright, is also the author of the play “Red,” which Arnault directed at CCftA, and numerous
other plays, television shows, and films, including “Any Given Sunday,” “Gladiator,” “The Aviator,”
“Sweeney Todd,” and “Hugo.”
In addition to “33 Variations” and “Red,” Arnault has also directed “39 Steps,” “Quills,” “Dark of the
Moon,” and “How I Learned to Drive” at CCftA.
Tickets are $15, $12 for members. Cotuit Center for the Arts is at 4404 Route 28 in Cotuit. For more
information, visit artsonthecape.org or call 508-428-0669.
# # #
What:
“I’ll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers,” by John Logan
Where:
Cotuit Center for the Arts, 4404 Route 28, Cotuit
When:
September 10 to 27, Thursday through Saturday, 8 PM, Sunday, 4 PM
Admission:
$15, $12 for members
END