Ed Asner to star as FDR in awarding-winning, one-man production at the Community Concert Hall on May 16
Durango, CO – Campobello Theatre Productions, Inc. and Gero Productions, LLC present Ed Asner starring as FDR, coming to the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College Wednesday, May 16, 2012, 7:30 p.m.
To celebrate the kick off of the Community Concert Hall’s 15th Anniversary season, a special VIP reception and fundraiser will be held prior to the show, 5:30-7 p.m., featuring a visit by Asner. Cost for the reception is $79, including $39 Orchestra seating for the show, $40 tax deductible.
Though widely known for his seven-time, Emmy-winning role as Lou Grant on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” Ed Asner has garnered high praise for his performance in the one-man drama, FDR, based upon Dore Schary’s hit play Sunrise at Campobello. It was originally produced on Broadway by the Theatre Guild and ran 556 performances – one of the longest running plays of all time.
Asner, as Franklin Delano Roosevelt, takes the audience through the iconic president’s White House years including the Great Depression, the steps leading up to World War II and the war years. Depicted are Roosevelt’s fireside chats; his controversial packing of the Supreme Court; his personal life with Eleanor and his discreet but definite affair with Lucy Mercer; the Pearl Harbor controversy and the benevolent dictatorship he called the presidency (1933-44), which made him the first man in history to be elected to four terms.
Asner is said to deliver a fearless performance, illustrating why this president was known as “that man in the White House,” scorned by many and admired by most. FDR is performed in one Act without Intermission.
In addition to his character Lou Grant on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and its spin-off series “Lou Grant,” Asner’s credits are many, and he has demonstrated a consummate ability to transcend the line between comedy and drama. He played the role of Guy Banister, FBI operative associated with the assassination conspiracy in Oliver Stone’s 1991 movie “JFK,” and is also known for his acclaimed role as Captain Davies, from the mini-series “Roots.”
Asner served as National President of the Screen Actors Guild for two terms, and was inducted into the TV Academy Hall of Fame in 1996. He also received the Ralph Morgan Award from the Screen Actors Guild in 2000, presented periodically for distinguished service to the Guild’s Hollywood membership, and in March 2002, he was again honored by the Guild as the 38th recipient of the prestigious Life Achievement Award for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment.
When recently speaking of the role to Ted Holteen on KDUR, Asner said, “I’ve loved it. I’ve naturally gotten more proficient at it… I consider it a fine gem and I keep polishing it and it gets more and more sparkly.”
Ed Asner discusses his performance of FDR in Popejoy Hall on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82jZUFCbcfs. The preview also shows excerpts from his performance in the role.
The original Broadway production of Sunrise at Campobello was presented at the Cort Theatre. It starred Ralph Bellamy as Roosevelt, a role for which Bellamy won a Tony Award for Best Actor. The production won three additional Tonys including Best Play, Best Director and Best Featured Actor. The Theatre Guild was formed in 1919 by Theresa Helburn, Lawrence Langner and Armina Marshall.
Gero Productions has presented 37 plays in New York City and London’s West End, including Extremities, Miss Firecracker Contest, Oleanna, The Last Yankee and more. Campobello Theatre Productions is the theatrical producing organization licensed by the heirs of Dore Schary to present FDR throughout the United States.
Tickets for the Ed Asner staring as FDR, ($35/$49) are available on-line at www.durangoconcerts.com or by calling 970.247.7657, or at the Ticket Office in Downtown Durango at 7th St. and Main Ave. All sales final.
Showtime is 7:30 p.m., with doors to the Concert Hall and concessions, serving beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages and snacks, opening at 6:30 p.m.
The Community Concert Hall is a not-for-profit, multi-use performance venue located on the campus of Fort Lewis College. Its ability to bring a diverse spectrum of shows to Southwest Colorado is made possible through a partnership with the college, a state-supported, independent institution of higher education, and through financial and in-kind contributions from generous members of the community.
