An Imaginary Life
- Written by Peter Parnell
- Directed by Don Scardino
Plays: The Cider House Rules, Part One, adapted from John Irving's novel (Atlantic Theatre Company, Mark Taper Forum, Seattle Rep Theatre); The Cider House Rules, Part Two (Mark Taper Forum, Seattle Rep); An Imaginary Life, Flaubert's Latest,Hyde in Hollywood, Romance Language, The Rise and Rise of Daniel Rocket (all at Playwrights Horizons); Sorrows of Stephen (Public Theater, NYSF). TV: Producer, The Guardian (current) for Columbia-Tristar; co-producer, The West Wing (two seasons) NBC-Warner Bros; Hyde in Hollywood and The Rise and Rise of Daniel Rocket, both American Playhouse, PBS. Grants and awards: NEA, Guggenheim, Ingram Merrill and Lecomte de Nouy foundations; the Fund for New American Plays, Kennedy Center, American Theatre Critics' Association and Ovation awards; nominated for Best Play from the Drama League (for The Cider House Rules). (As of November 2006)
Born in New York City, Scardino began his career as an actor. His first Broadway credit was as an understudy in The Playroom in 1965. Additional Broadway acting credits include Johnny No-Trump, Godspell, and King of Hearts. Off-Broadway he appeared in The Rimers of Eldritch, The Comedy of Errors, Moonchildren, and I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It on the Road, he was also the lead in a cult classic B horror movie titled Squirm in 1976. He served as Artistic Director at Playwrights Horizons from 1991-96. On television he appeared on the daytime soap operas The Guiding Light, All My Children, Love Is a Many Splendored Thing, and Another World and the primetime series The Ghost & Mrs. Muir and The Name of the Game. Feature film credits include Rip-off, Homer, Squirm and Cruising. Following his acting on the network soap operas, Scardino began to direct them. He directed episodes of Another World, One Life to Live, and All My Children. He went on to direct plays on and off-Broadway, including the world premiere of Aaron Sorkin's A Few Good Men. He has directed extensively in television, most notably the comedy 30 Rock. Feature film directing work includes Me & Veronica (Venice Film Festival), and Advice from a Caterpillar, winner, best comedy, at Aspen Comedy Festival. He directed the 2013 film The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, starring Jim Carrey and Steve Carell.
Matt Abelman, a playwright and a divorced, middle-aged man, has found a lump that may or may not be malignant. As his fear of death overtakes him, the fabric of his life begins to unravel. He retreats to his typewriter, weaving fantastic tales while searching for a fictional way out of his very real problems. While we watch the tales unfold, are we seeing Matt's reality or his fantasies? Matt's tales become a play-within-a-play that is both dizzying and breathtaking. At a time when illness and premature death permeate our society, the play's positive philosophy of living life to the fullest is enormously uplifting.
Featuring
Merwin Goldsmith
Jonathan Walker
Chip Zien
Caroline Aaron
Reed Birney
Has appeared at Playwrights Horizons eight times, most recently in Annie Baker’s Circle Mirror Transformation directed by Sam Gold. He was just in Tigers Be Still at Roundabout Underground. For the NewYork premiere of Sarah Kane’s Blasted at Soho Rep, he was nominated for a Drama Desk Award. He was Dr. Sweet in the original New York cast of Bug and played Tony Blair in Stuff Happens at The Public Theater. He has received three Obie Awards and a Drama Desk Award. On film, he can be seen in Changeling and the current Morning Glory with Harrison Ford, as well as Jeff Lipsky’s Twelve Thirty. In February he will be in David West Read’s The Dream of the Burning Boy at Roundabout Underground. (As of December 2010)
Creative Team
Loren Sherman
Scenic DesignerJess Goldstein
Costume DesignerPhil Monat
Lighting DesignerRaymond D. Schilke
Sound DesignerDianne Trulock
Production Stage Manager
Photo of Caroline Aaron, Chip Zien, and Reed Birney by Joan Marcus.
Parnell has mixed fantasy and reality. He's a whiz at up-to-the-minute jokes.