Richard Skipper will sit down with actress/singer PENNY FULLER Friday July 25th 7: 30 pm to recount her 50+ year career in theater, television, film and in cabaret.
Hailing from Durham, North Carolina, Penny Fuller attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, majoring in Theater. Miss Fuller made her Broadway debut in “The Moon Besieged”, (1962), then performed in three productions of Shakespeare-in-the-Park. She later appeared as a replacement in the original productions of ‘Barefoot in the Park”, (1963), and “Cabaret”, (1966).
Penny Fuller 4Miss Fuller first came to attention in show business circles as the scheming Eve Harrington in the Broadway production of “Applause”, the 1970 musical version of Joseph L Mankiewicz’s classic 1950 feature “All About Eve”. More than holding her own against Lauren Bacall’s Margo Channing, Fuller won strong reviews, earned a Tony nomination as Best Featured Actress in a Musical and reprised the role in the 1973 CBS TV adaptation.
Theatrical credits include: Richard Rodgers’ 1976 musical about Henry VIII, “Rex”, opposite Nicol Williamson and Glenn Close; the original production of William Finns “A New Brain,” and a 1999 revival of Rodgers’ “Do I Hear a Waltz?” at New Jersey’s George Street Playhouse. Recent years have found Miss Fuller back on Broadway, in the original productions of Wendy Wasserstein’s “An American Daughter”, (1997) and Neil Simon’s “The Dinner Party, (2000-nominated for a Tony Award). Off-Broadway appearances have included “Three Viewings”, (1995) and Nicky Silver’s unsettling “Beautiful Child”. Her latest Broadway appearance was in Horton Foote’s “Dividing the Estate” in 2009.
TV movie “The Elephant Man” (NBC, 1982), earned Miss Fuller her first Emmy Award. She won praise for her bitchy sister-in-law to Tommy Lee Jones’ Brick and Jessica Lange’s Maggie in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” (Showtime, 1984; PBS, 1985). Miss Fuller has also had recurring roles on “China Beach” (ABC, 1989-90) as the mother of Dana Delany’s McMurphy, and “Mad About You” (NBC, 1994-95), as the mother of Jamie Buchman (Helen Hunt). For her guest appearance on the second season premiere of the NBC medical drama “ER” (1996), Miss Fuller earned a third Emmy nomination.
More recently, Penny Fuller has performed in cabaret at 54 Below, The Metropolitan Room and other show rooms in New York City, often teaming with her dear friend, Anita Gillette. Coming up together in theater in the 1960s, Anita and Penny often competed for roles…and what fun they had (and still do!)
The Spiral Theater Studio, 242 W. 36th Street, New York, NY, 10036. Friday July 25th – Wine and Cheese mixer at 7:00 PM, and interview of Miss Fuller promptly at 7:30 PM. A “meet and greet” will follow. Tickets are $30.00. A portion of the proceeds for the evening will go to benefit the Spiral Theater Studio.http://www.thespiraltheatrestudio.com/mission.html
Seating is Limited. An RSVP is highly recommended. Please call 845-365-0720.
