Ivey, Gray, McMenamin, Ovendon Join Butley Cast

Dana Ivey, Pamela Gray, James McMenamin, and Julian Ovenden will join previously announced star Nathan Lane in the upcoming Broadway revival of Simon Gray’s Butley, under the direction of Nicholas Martin. The show will begin previews at the Booth Theatre on October 5 and is scheduled to end its limited run on January 14. Additional casting will be announced shortly.

Butley will open officially on October 25 — a change from the previously announced date of October 26. The reason for the switch is that the 26th had already been registered for the opening of the Twyla Tharp-Bob Dylan musical The Times They Are A-Changin’, which will bow that night at the Brooks Atkinson.

The creative team for Butley includes Alexander Dodge (sets), Ann Roth (costumes), David Weiner (lighting), and John Gromada (sound). Among Gray’s other plays are Otherwise Engaged, The Common Pursuit, and Quartermanine’s Terms. Martin, whose New York directorial credits include Hedda Gabler and Fully Committed, is also the artistic director of Boston’s Huntington Theatre, where he staged Butley with Lane in 2003.

Ivey is a four-time Tony Award nominee for performances in Sunday in the Park With George, Heartbreak House, The Last Night of Ballyhoo, and The Rivals. She was most recently seen on the New York stage in the Irish Rep production of Mrs. Warren’s Profession. Gray appeared in the Huntington Theatre Company of Butley and also co-starred in the Off-Broadway production of Hard Feelings. McMenamin starred in the Playwrights Horizons’ production of Julia Cho’s BFE. Ovenden has had leading roles in the Donmar Warehouse productions of Grand Hotel and Merrily We Roll Along.

Butley is a dark comedy about a literary professor who loses his wife and his male lover in the same day. The play was first produced in London and then on Broadway in 1971-1972, with Alan Bates in the title role. Bates won a Tony Award for his performance and later starred in the 1974 film version.