Elaine May, the iconic actress, comedian, writer and director, is returning to Broadway next season.
May, 85, will star in the first Broadway production of Kenneth Lonergan's "The Waverly Gallery," a poignant and timely drama about an elderly gallery owner in Greenwich Village determined to cling to her independence and fight off the effects of aging.
"I have always Elaine wanted to play this part," said Lonergan, who added that he and May were longtime friends.
"The Waverly Gallery" was first seen at off-Broadway at the Promenade Theater in 2000, where it starred the late Eileen Heckart. It was one of three finalists for the Pulitzer Prize in 2001. More recently, Lonergan won an Academy Award for his original screenplay for the 2016 movie "Manchester by the Sea."
In the new Broadway production, to be produced by Scott Rudin, May will appear alongside Michael Cera and Lucas Hedges, who was nominated for a supporting actor Ocsar for his work in "Manchester by the Sea."
The show will be directed by Lila Neugebauer, who will be making her Broadway debut. She previously directed "The Wolves," a critically acclaimed off-Broadway show about a soccer team composed of high school girls.
As performer, this will be May's first opening night on Broadway since 1960, when she appeared in "An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May," a show that grew out of the legendary comedy duo's work. (Nichols died in 2014.)
