By Kenneth Jones
03 Nov 2009

Lynn Redgrave
photo by Joan Marcus

Actress-writer Lynn Redgrave's Nightingale, her solo show inspired by the life of her maternal grandmother — a woman she barely knew — opens Off-Broadway Nov. 3 after previews from Oct. 15 in a production by Manhattan Theatre Club.

Written and performed (with script in hand) by Tony and Academy Award nominee Redgrave and directed by Joseph Hardy, the new play, according to production notes, is "inspired by her need to create a life for her maternal grandmother, a woman she barely knew." It's billed as a play "about a promising woman stymied by society and all but erased by history, a touching personal tribute and a resounding song for all those people whose voices we've lost, or never known."

Performances play New York City Center - Stage I (131 West 55th Street).

The creative team includes Tobin Ost (scenic design), Alejo Vietti (costume design), Rui Rita (lighting design) and John Gromada (original music and sound design).

Manhattan Theatre Club previously announced that the celebrated actress will perform with script in hand due to a medical condition.

MTC's Lynne Meadow and Barry Grove said in joint statement, "Ms. Redgrave, a long-time cancer survivor, was diagnosed this week with a medical condition that requires immediate treatment at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Side effects of the treatment necessitate that Ms. Redgrave rely on her script for the entire run of the play at MTC."

Tickets are currently on sale through Dec. 13.

Manhattan Theatre Club is producing Nightingale by special arrangement with Jeffrey Richards/Jerry Frankel & Dennis Grimaldi.

Redgrave is a 2006 Tony Award nominee for Best Actress in a Play (The Constant Wife), a 1993 Tony Award nominee for Best Actress in a Play (Shakespeare for My Father, which she wrote) and a 1976 Tony Award nominee for Best Actress in a Play (Mrs. Warren's Professsion).

She is a two-time Academy Award nominee (1999, Best Actress in a Supporting Role for "Gods and Monsters" and 1967 Best Actress in a Leading Role for "Georgy Girl").

Tickets ($75 each) for Nightingale are available via New York City Center box office (131 West 55th Street), CityTix at (212) 581-1212 and www.nycitycenter.org.

For more information, visit www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com.