The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents “GOLDA’S BALCONY” at the Fox Theatre, April 21-23, 2006 starring Valerie Harper                                             

ST. LOUIS, MO / March 8, 2006–Four-time EmmyâAward-winning television and motion picture star Valerie Harper will fill the shoes of Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir as she takes on the starring role in the national tour of the Broadway smash “Golda’s Balcony.”  Presented by The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, “Golda’s Balcony” will enjoy a limited run at the Fox Theatre April 21-23.  Curtain times are Friday at 8 p.m., and Saturday at 2 & 8 p.m.      A private performance for the Jewish Federation of St. Louis will take place on Sunday.

A riveting portrait of one of the great women of our time, “Golda’s Balcony” is the latest work from TonyâAward-winning playwright William Gibson (The Miracle Worker, Two for the Seesaw), and a record-breaking stage hit that recently completed 15 sold out months on Broadway.  The National Tour will begin performances on October 18 at The Parker Playhouse in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, where it will run for three weeks.

The rise of Golda Meir from Russian schoolgirl to Israel’s Prime Minister is one of the most thrilling stories of the 20^th century.  “Golda’s Balcony” tells this story – and more – and earned critical acclaim during its run on Broadway.   USA Today called the play, “A moving tribute to the human capacity for survival.”  Clive Barnes from The New York Post raved, “Gibson’s fascinating play is a tight-knit story of war and peace.”  And The New York Times enthused, “Hearing from someone who was there at the birth of the county, who sacrificed to make it happen, helps remind us where the Middle East standoff came from.  ‘Golda’s Balcony’ is enlightening.”  Nominated for a TonyâAward for Best Play by the Drama League, and winner of the Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel Awards, “Golda’s Balcony” is a dazzling, sight and sound spectacular that promises to be a thrilling, moving and unforgettable evening of theatre.

Valerie Harper most recently appeared on Broadway starring in Charles Busch’s The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife.  After running almost a year in New York, Ms. Harper then starred in the national tour.  Off-Broadway she co-wrote and starred in All Under Heaven, a one-woman play based on the life and work of Nobel Prize-winning author Pearl S. Buck (The Good Earth).  She starred in Elaine May’s and Woody Allen’s Death Defying Acts, also Off-Broadway.  Other Broadway credits include Paul Sill’s Story Theatre and Metamorphoses, Something Different (by Carol Reiner), Subways Are For Sleeping, Wildcat, Take Me Along, Destry Rides Again and Li’l Abner. 

During her long and varied career, Ms. Harper has starred in a wide variety of television films, specials and feature films, as well as five on-air primetime series.  Most notably, she spent nine years as the character of Rhoda Morgenstern on both “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and on her own series “Rhoda.”  She was the recipient of Harvard University’s Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year Award, the Golden Globe, the Golden Apple Award and four Emmyâ Awards.  She is currently working with her husband, Tony Cacciotti, developing a series of health-related television specials.  The couple lives in Los Angeles and has a daughter, Cristina, who is an actress.

Playwright William Gibson has written poetry, fiction and scripts for stage, television and films.  His plays include The Miracle Worker (winner of the TonyâAward for Best Play in 1960), Two for the Seesaw, A Cry of Players, Golda (from which “Golda’s Balcony” is loosely adapted), The Butterfingers Angel, Monday After the Miracle, Goodly Creatures and Handy Dandy.  He is the author of the novel, The Cobweb, as well as the musical version of Clifford Odets’ Golden Boy.  His several books include The Seesaw Log, A Mass for the Dead (a study of his family), A Season in Heaven, and Shakespeare’s Game (a critical study).  “Golda’s Balcony” is his latest play and set a record as the longest-running one-woman play in Broadway history on January 2, 2005.

Returning to direct “Golda’s Balcony” in its national tour is the play’s Broadway director, Scott Schwartz.  Mr. Schwartz was previously represented on Broadway as the co-director of Jane Eyre with John Caird.  He also directed the highly-acclaimed Off-Broadway hits tick, tick…BOOM!, Bat Boy:  The Musical and Franz Kafka’s The Castle.  All of the Broadway designers will reprise their roles for the tour, including set designer Anna Louizos (Avenue Q, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas); costume designer Jess Goldstein (Take Me Out, Enchanted April, Proof); lighting designer Howell Binkley (Avenue Q, The Full Monty, Parade), sound designer Mark Bennett (The Goat, Lily Tomlin’s The Search…) and video and projection designer Robin Silvestri (The Rocky Horror Show, Bring in ‘Da Noise…).