Nancy Johnston Replaces Allyce Beasley in REVISITING WILDFIRE at the ArcLight Theatre

Nancy Johnston will replace Allyce Beasley and co-star with Lynne Wintersteller in Kari Floren's two-hander Revisiting Wildfire about two college roommates, best friends for life, who re-unite after thirty years.

"Ms. Beasley was forced to withdraw for health reasons," said Michael McKenzie of Right Down Broadway Productions, the show's producer. "Everyone on Revisiting Wildfire wishes her well."

Revisiting Wildfire, is directed by Eve Brandstein, begins previews Friday, June 1, at 8:00pm for an opening Wednesday, June 6, at 7:00pm at ArcLight Theatre, 152 West 71st Street.

Ms. Wintersteller and Ms. Johnston play 50-something women who have always had a madcap friendship since the early years of punk and the Reagan Administration. But when three decades of the weekly phone calls stop, a surprise visit finds one of them in chaos, the other in denial and both with secrets.

Lynne Wintersteller starred on Broadway in the Tony-nominaTEd Rogers and Hammerstein revue A Grand Night for Singing and garnered a Drama Desk for her work in the Maltby/Shire Off-Broadway Closer Than Ever.

Nancy Johnston has appeared in leading roles on Broadway in Elf, The Music Man and The Secret Garden. She was in the first national tour of The Producers and Beauty and the Beast. Off-Broadway she starred in Splendora at the American Place Theater, Merrily We Roll Along at the York, Nunsense (with Phyllis Diller) at the Fairbanks, and Olympus On My Mind, at the Lambs, for which she is also featured on the original cast album. Film credits include The Producers, Sad Sack Sally, and Off The Black.

Playwright Kari Floren first saw a previous version of Revisiting Wildfire performed in Los Angeles starring Denise Crosby and Jamie Rose last year. Her other plays include Voices of Swords starring Rosemary Prinz at Urban Stages, The Porch and If Wishes Were Horses at Altered Stages, and A Late Supper at the Maverick Theater. In addition, her screenplay drama, The Night of the New Moon is currently in development with Teri Polo attached.

Director Eve Brandstein made her mark in Hollywood as a studio executive, producer, director, writer/creator, casting director, talent manager and author. She has directed over 50 stage productions worldwide, including How I Got That Story with David Morse and Richard Klein, William Gibson’s Hanky Panky with Jean Stapleton and Ron Liebman and recently Stories From the Fringe. Working with Norman Lear for a decade, she was one of the foremost casting powers in Los Angeles. She has discovered and fostered many new acting talents including George Clooney, Sarah Jessica Parker, Fran Drescher, Aidan Quinn, Alysa Milano to name but a few.

Revisiting Wildfire has sets by Jason Sherwood, costumes by Anne E Grosz and lighting by Nastassia Jimenez.

Original music for Revisiting Wildfire is by Roger Murdock, who has composed music for record, film and theatre. He has toured forty-nine states and abroad and performed with such artists as King Missile, the late Joey Ramone, Deborah Harry, Richard Hell, Ronnie Spector, Ann Magnuson, Laurie Beechman, and Leslie West.

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