Wagner, LaValley, Aronson, and More Join SUCCESS STORY; Full Cast Announced!

Back to the Article

by BWW News Desk

Casting is complete for John Howard Lawson's Success Story, which opens March 6. Starring as the torn lovers are Leah Wagner and Allie Mulholland, roles originated by brother and sister acting legends Stella & Luther Adler. James Aronson steps into the love triangle in the role of Raymond Merritt, further complicated by Adrienne LaValley as his kept girl.

Success Story previews Tues March 5th at 8 PM, and officially opens Wed March 6 at The Robert Moss Theater (440 Lafayette St). Opening night will be followed by a talk-back. Tickets are $18 and can be purchased by visiting www.smarttix.com.

Brandon Ruckdashel, Matt Giroveanu, Luke Guldan, Robert Benes, Tami McCarthy and Carly J. Bauer round out the rest of the cast.

Success Story is the tale of Sol Ginsberg, a young Jewish upstart at a Madison Ave advertising firm in 1929. A former idealist radical, he now sees that the only way to achieve the American Dream is through money. As opportunities present themselves, he begins compromising his spirit in order to get ahead, even risking losing his childhood sweetheart and his own identity.

Originally presented in 1932, Success Story was the 3rd play produced by The Group Theatre under the direction of Lee Strasberg and featuring the A-List cast of the Adlers, Franchot Tone, Morris Carnovsky, etc. It was written by master playwright John Howard Lawson, once known as Eugene O'Neill's contemporary as the greatest American playwright. According to Group co-founder, Harold Clurman, Lawson was "the hope of our theatre." Blacklisted as a member of the Hollywood 10, Lawson's writings were deemed unperformable due to his Communist ties and have remained so for 60 years. It is with great pride, the ReGroup unearths his great plays.
Presented by the ReGroup Theatre, Success Story is part of the series Reclaiming Names: John Howard Lawson and runs in repertoire with Lawson's political farce Loud Speaker.

Visit www.successstoryplay.com for more information about this show.