Theatre News Wire

Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, announces John Mahoney, Rondi Reed and Thomas J. Cox as the cast for the World Premiere of The Outgoing Tide written by Bruce Graham, directed by Artistic Director BJ Jones. The Outgoing Tide runs May 12-June 19, 2011. The press opening is Saturday May 21, 2011.

Tony Award winner John Mahoney returns to Northlight after appearing in A Life and Better Late. Rondi Reed returns to Northlight in her first Chicago appearance since her Tony Award-winning turn in August: Osage County and her acclaimed role in CBS's Mike and Molly. Thomas J. Cox, a founding member of Lookingglass, returns to Northlight where he has appeared in Pride & Prejudice and Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde.

Tickets for The Outgoing Tide, $30-50, are now on sale by phone, 847.673.6300, or online at northlight.org. Young Adult tickets (25 and under) are $10 (one per person with valid ID).

In a summer cottage on Chesapeake Bay, Gunner has hatched an unorthodox plan to secure his family's future but meets with resistance from his wife and son, who have plans of their own. As winter approaches, the three must quickly find common ground and come to an understanding-before the tide goes out. This new drama, featuring Northlight favorite John Mahoney, hums with dark humor and powerful emotion. The Outgoing Tide is supported in part by The Lehman Family American Experience Series, and is the recipient of a 2010 Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award.

"I'm thrilled to have Thom Cox, Rondi Reed and John Mahoney bringing their formidable talents back to Northlight in this moving ensemble piece," says Artistic Director BJ Jones. "With a role written expressly for John Mahoney, Bruce Graham tackles contemporary issues that so many of us face with a compelling, powerful and surprisingly funny approach."

Thomas J. Cox (Jack) is thrilled to return to Northlight, where he has appeared in Pride & Prejudice, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, and three Interplay Series readings: Intelligence-Slave, Emma and The Outgoing Tide. He is a founding ensemble member of Lookingglass, where he has appeared in over thirty productions, most recently as Hook in Peter Pan (a play). Thom has been nominated twice for Joseph Jefferson Awards (Best Supporting Actor and Best Solo Performance). Other credits: Rock 'n' Roll (Goodman); Elephant Man (Steppenwolf for Young Audiences); Fraulein Else, Raisin, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and, most recently, Orlando (Court); as well as productions at Victory Gardens, Madison Rep, Weston Playhouse, ITC, and a film for House Theatre. Directing credits: Lookingglass, Eclipse, Piven, Weston Playhouse. Film/TV: Since You've Been Gone (Miramax); Chi-Girl (Van Lier Productions); Brotherhood (Showtime).

John Mahoney (Gunner) previously appeared at Northlight in A Life and Better Late. He starred in the Broadway revival of Prelude to a Kiss, Romance at the Almeida Theatre in London and I Never Sang for My Father at Steppenwolf. He has appeared in over 30 Steppenwolf productions where he is a member of the ensemble. He received a Tony Award for his performance in The House of Blue Leaves. Films include She's the One, Moonstruck, Tin Men, Primal Fear, Say Anything, Barton Fink and Flipped. On TV, John starred in Dinner at Eight, The Water Engine, and the 5-time Emmy Award-winning series Frasier, for which he received multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for his portrayal of patriarch Martin Crane. John is a recipient of the prestigious Sarah Siddons Award, only the second male (after Brian Dennehy) to be so honored.

Rondi Reed returns to Northlight where she previously appeared in The Retreat From Moscow. A Steppenwolf ensemble member since 1979, she won a Tony Award in 2008 for August: Osage County, in which she appeared in Chicago, on Broadway, at the National Theatre, London, and at Sydney Theatre Company. She played Madame Morrible in Wicked in Chicago and on Broadway. She can currently be seen on CBS's hit show Mike & Molly. She received Joseph Jefferson Awards for Steppenwolf's The Fall to Earth and Waiting for the Parade. Among her 60-plus productions at Steppenwolf include the Pulitzer-nominated Man from Nebraska by Tracy Letts, Sideman (also in Australia and Ireland); Picasso at the Lapin Agile (Off-Broadway, LA and San Francisco); The Rise and Fall of Little Voice (Broadway); The Grapes of Wrath (at the National Theatre, London and on Broadway); and Another Time (with Albert Finney). Other Chicago appearances include Romeo and Juliet for Chicago Shakespeare; The Sandbox at the Goodman; Cabaret at the Marriott; and The Vagina Monologues at the Apollo.