Tea at Five is an intimate look at Katharine Hepburn at home in her Fenwick estate in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. The play takes place in February 1983 after Hepburn was injured in an automobile accident. This homebound recovery affords the now-legendary star an opportunity to reflect on her turbulent childhood, the triumphs of her career and her heart-breaking 27-year love affair with Spencer Tracy. Lombardo's play reveals Hepburn as an undeniable talent that is equal parts intuitive, witty and uproariously funny. Tea at Five is an unforgettable trip down Broadway, Hollywood Blvd. and memory lane.
Tovah Feldshuh (Katharine Hepburn) is the recipient of four Tony Award Nominations for Best Actress (Yentl, Sarava!, Lend Me a Tenor, Golda's Balcony) and winner of four Drama Desk Awards, four Outer Critics Circle Awards, the Obie, the Theatre World Award and the 2003 Lucille Lortel Award for Best Actress (Golda's Balcony). Film audiences recognize Feldshuh from Kissing Jessica Stein for which she won the Golden Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress. On television she received her first Emmy Award nomination for her portrayal of the Czech freedom fighter Helena in Holocaust. Her second nomination was for her work as defense attorney Danielle Melnick on Law & Order.
Matthew Lombardo (playwright) is the recipient of the IRNE Award for Best Solo Play for Tea at Five. The production, which had its world premiere at Hartford Stage, has since played more than 500 performances in more than a dozen theaters across the country, including Off-Broadway at the Promenade Theatre. Lombardo's other off-Broadway credits include directing the hit comedy End of the World Party at the 47th Street Theatre, Mother and Child at the McGinn/Cazale Theatre (with Tony Award winning actress Ann Wedgeworth) and Guilty Innocence at the Actors' Playhouse, serving the latter two productions as both playwright and director. Having written for the television series "Another World," Mr. Lombardo garnered a Writer's Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement. He is again collaborating with friend and mentor John Tillinger on a new project entitled Looped about the life of Tallulah Bankhead, which will have its world premiere at the Ivoryton Playhouse in March 2008.
John Tillinger (Director) directed the Broadway productions of Absurd Person Singular; Say Goodnight Gracie; Judgment at Nuremberg; Night Must Fall; The Sunshine Boys; Inherit the Wind (Tony nomination, Outer Critics Circle Award); Arthur Miller's Broken Glass; The Price (Tony nomination); Sweet Sue; Loot (Tony nomination, Outer Critics Circle Award); Corpse!; The Golden Age and Solomon's Child. His Off-Broadway credits include Tea at Five; House and Garden; Comic Potential; The Exact Center; Memory of Water; Dealer's Choice; Sylvia; A Perfect Ganesh; The Last Yankee; Lips Together, Teeth Apart; After the Fall; Breaking Legs; The Lisbon Traviata (Lucille Lortel Award); What the Butler Saw; Love Letters (Lucille Lortel Award); Urban Blight; The Film Society; Perfect Party (Outer Critics Circle Award); It's Only a Play and Entertaining Mr. Sloane (Drama Desk Award).
The design team for Tea at Five includes Tony Straiges (Set Design); Kevin Adams (Lighting Design); Jess Goldstein (Costume Design); Paul Huntley (Wig Design) and John Gromada (Sound Design).
Tea at Five runs through Sunday, December 23 at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie The performances are: Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m., Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets are $35-$55 and are available at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts box office at 847.673.6300 and at www.northshorecenter.org.
