The Tony Award winner Anthony LaPaglia will play Richard Nixon and Kathryn Erbe (“Law & Order: Criminal Intent”) will play Pat Nixon in the world premiere of Douglas McGrath’s play “Checkers” this fall at Off Broadway’s Vineyard Theater, executives there announced on Friday. The play, set during the 1952 presidential election, is a character study of Nixon (then the Republican nominee for vice president) as well as a rendering of the Nixon marriage in a moment of crisis, as he delivered his so-called Checkers speech addressing allegations of financial improprieties.
Mr. LaPaglia won the Tony for best actor in a play in 1998 as Eddie Carbone in that season’s Broadway revival of “A View from the Bridge”; his last stage role in New York was in the 2010 Broadway revival of “Lend Me a Tenor.” Ms. Erbe, whose television credits also include “Oz,” and who is a member of the Steppenwolf Theater Company ensemble in Chicago, was nominated for a featured Tony in 1991 for “The Speed of Darkness.”
“Checkers” will be directed by another Steppenwolf ensemble member, Terry Kinney, who is divorced from Ms. Erbe. Mr. Kinney directed the Broadway play “reasons to be pretty” in 2009.
The production’s other cast members are Kelly Coffield Park, Joel Marsh Garland, Kevin O’Rourke, John Ottovino, Mark Shanahan, Lewis J. Stadlen and Robert Stanton. The playwright, Mr. McGrath, shared an Academy Award nomination with Woody Allen for best original screenplay for their 1994 movie “Bullets Over Broadway.” Mr. McGrath also wrote and directed the 1996 film adaptation of “Emma,” which starred Gwyneth Paltrow.
“Checkers” is scheduled to begin preview performances on Oct. 12 and open on Oct. 28.
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