Marking the centennial of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby,” the fundraiser will support the Playhouse’s Joanne Woodward Internship Program
Westport Country Playhouse will present Alec Baldwin and Stephanie Zimbalist in “The Fitzgeralds: A Reading with Music” on Saturday, September 27, at 7 p.m. Portions of the proceeds from this fundraising event will support the Joanne Woodward Internship Program and educational programming at the Playhouse.
Marking the centennial of “The Great Gatsby,” “The Fitzgeralds: A Reading with Music” revisits the lives behind one of the most enduring works of American literature. At the heart of this performance lies the extraordinary correspondence between F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald — letters that reveal a relationship shaped by ambition, artistry, and emotional complexity. Through their own words, we encounter two singular voices whose love and conflict fueled some of the most iconic writing of the 20th century.
Directed by Stephen Hamilton, the reading features an original live score by composer/performer Forrest Gray that brings new resonance to the Fitzgeralds’ words. Poised between literature and performance, memory and music, “The Fitzgeralds: A Reading with Music” is a reflective tribute to the people behind the prose. Originally devised by Steve Lawson.
Since 1980, Alec Baldwin has appeared in numerous productions on stage, in films, and on television. He received a Tony nomination (“A Streetcar Named Desire,” 1992), an Oscar nomination (“The Cooler,” 2004), and has won three Emmy awards, three Golden Globes, and seven consecutive Screen Actors Guild Awards for Best Actor in a Comedy Series for his role on NBC-TV’s “30 Rock,” making him the actor with the most SAG Awards of all time. His films include “Miami Blues,” “The Hunt for Red October,” “Glengarry Glen Ross,” “Malice,” “The Edge,” “It’s Complicated,” “Blue Jasmine,” “Still Alice,” “Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation,” and “The Boss Baby,” among many others.
Baldwin earned a BFA from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in 1994 and has received honorary doctorates from NYU (2010) and the Manhattan School of Music (2012). He has served on numerous boards related to the arts, the environment, and public policy including the Hamptons International Film Festival, Bay Street Theater, The Actors Studio, Guild Hall of East Hampton, and the Roundabout Theatre Company. He currently serves on the boards of People for the American Way and the New York Philharmonic. He has authored three books: “A Promise to Ourselves,” his memoir entitled “Nevertheless” and, with Kurt Andersen, the Donald Trump parody “You Can’t Spell America without Me.” He is the host of a podcast, “Here’s The Thing,” for iHeartRadio. Baldwin is married to author and wellness expert Hilaria Thomas Baldwin. They have seven children: Carmen, Rafael, Leonardo, Romeo, Eduardo, Lucia, and Ilaria, as well as his eldest, Ireland Baldwin. Hilaria and Alec oversee The Hilaria and Alec Baldwin Foundation, which focuses on funding the arts. Baldwin last appeared at Westport Country Playhouse in a fundraising reading of “Love Letters” (2018) with Kelli O’Hara.
Stephanie Zimbalist appeared at Westport Country Playhouse in “Sylvia,” “Far East,” and a Script in Hand playreading of “The Last Night of Ballyhoo.” With Alec Baldwin, she was in “Love on the Run” movie for NBC, and “The Night of the Iguana” reading for Tennessee Williams New Orleans Literary Festival. Selected theater includes “The Subject Was Roses” (George Street), “Tea at Five” (Indie Award), “Sylvia” (L.A. premiere, Dramalogue, Robby Awards), “The Threepenny Opera,” “Summer and Smoke,” “Barbarians” (Williamstown), “The Baby Dance” (original cast, Pasadena Playhouse, Williamstown, Long Wharf, Lucille Lortel), “The Cherry Orchard” (Long Wharf, Odyssey L.A.), “Side Man” (Guthrie Lab), “My One and Only” National Tour, “A Little Night Music” (South Coast Rep, Santa Barbara Ensemble), “The Lion in Winter” (Ensemble), “You Can’t Take It with You,” “Hamlet,” “The Night of the Iguana,” “Dancing at Lughnasa,” “The Rainmaker” (all Rubicon, Robby Award), “Vincent in Brixton” (Pasadena), “The Tempest” (Mark Taper Forum). Film: “The Awakening” (w/Charlton Heston, directed by Mike Newell), “The Magic of Lassie” (w/James Stewart). TV: Over 30 movies, “The Gathering,” “Centennial,” “The Golden Moment,” “The Story Lady” (w/Jessica Tandy), “Caroline?” (w/George Grizzard for Hallmark, Golden Globe nom.), “Incident in a Small Town” (w/Walter Matthau), and “Stop the World – I Want to Get Off” for A&E; Laura Holt in the NBC/MTM series “Remington Steele.”
Director Stephen Hamilton co-founded Bay Street Theater (BST) in Sag Harbor, NY, in 1991. In his 17 years as executive director of BST, Hamilton oversaw more than 50 productions, including Jon Robin Baitz’ adaptation of “Hedda Gabler,” earning a Tony nomination for Kate Burton, and Sandy Wilson’s “The Boy Friend,” marking Julie Andrews’ directorial debut. Composer/performer Forrest Gray gained recognition for scoring “And Everything Is Going Fine,” a documentary about his father, Spalding Gray, by Steven Soderbergh. Gray has gone on to build a diverse career in film scoring.
Tickets for the fundraiser are $150, $250, and $350. Running time is 90 minutes. Special thanks to the Estate of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald for permission to use excerpts from their writings in this performance.
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