From Neal Justin
The Guthrie's production of "The Importance of Being Earnest" might have been retitled "The Importance of Being Nervous" had the cast known who was in Saturday night's crowd prior to the curtain going up.
Laura Linney and director Bill Condon attended the play during a weekend in the Twin Cities where they were scouting locations for a Showtime pilot, "The C Word," which will shoot in the fall. The project, written by Darlene Hunt, is about a middle-aged woman struggling with cancer and while it will be shot in Connecticut, the show is based in Minneapolis. Condon, best known of "Dreamgirls" and "Kinsey," which netted Linney an Oscar nomination, is helming the pilot.
After the performance, Linney and Condon met with cast members at Sea Change restaurant and told actor John Skelley that they were looking at neighborhoods they could duplicate in Connecticut.
"It didn't seem like either had been here before," he said. "Laura said the only thing she knew about Minneapolis was from 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show.'"
"The C Word" isn't the only show looking to Minneapolis as a base. Shonda Rhimes, the creator of "Grey's Anatomy," is developing an idea about Minneapolis police officers. She hasn't confirmed the project, but one of her writers contacted a Star Tribune reporter a few months ago for background information.
Laura Linney / AP photo by Mark J. Terrill
