Speed-the-Plow: Elisabeth Moss completes cast

Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men) is to make her Broadway debut as 'Karen,' the temporary secretary to executive producer 'Bobby Gould,' in the 20th Anniversary revival of David Mamet's Tony-nominated play Speed-The-Plow, opening at the Belasco Theatre on 26 Oct 2008, following previews from 3 Oct 2008.

Moss joins the previously announced Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner Jeremy Piven (Entourage, Fat Pig) as ambitious producer 'Bobby Gould' and three-time Tony-nominee Ra�l Esparza (The Homecoming, Company, Taboo) as film production exec 'Charlie Fox.' Neil Pepe (David Mamet�s Romance, Ethan Coen�s Almost an Evening) will direct.

Speed-The-Plow is Mamet�s scathing portrait of the film industry and the people who are willing to sell their souls for sex, fame and fortune. The play begins with Fox coming to his long-time friend Gould after he unexpectedly gets the twenty-four-hour option to a prison movie. Their 20-year friendship undergoes a test of loyalty when Karen, the na�ve-seeming temporary secretary comes between the project with an agenda of her own.

Speed-The-Plow was first produced on Broadway in 1988 at the Royale Theatre (now called Bernard B. Jacobs,) directed by Gregory Mosher and starred Madonna as 'Karen', Joe Mantegna as 'Bobby Gould' and Ron Silver as 'Charlie Fox'. The play was nominated for Tony's for Best Play and Best director, and Ron Silver won a Tony Award for Best Best Actor in Play.

This is the second Mamet play being produced on the great white way this season, American Buffalo is to play Broadway in the fall, directed by Robert Falls. That revival may star John Leguizamo though that is still to be confirmed.

American Buffalo was the first of Mamet's plays to be performed on Broadway. The playwright's other Broadway credits include: 'The Water Engine / Mr. Happiness' (1978), 'Glengarry Glen Ross' (1984, revival 2005), Speed-the-Plow (1988) and 'The Old Neighborhood' (1997) and 'November' which recently ended its run at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre.

Elisabeth Moss currently stars as 'Peggy Olson' in the AMC TV series 'Mad Men.' She was nominated for a 2001 Young Artist Award of Best Performance in a TV Drama Series for playing 'Zoey Bartlet' in 'The West Wing.' Moss� theatre credits include: 'Young Franny' in 'Franny�s Way' presented by Playwrights Horizons at the Atlantic Theater Company. She also played the same role at the Geffen Playhouse, L.A. Other stage credits include: 'Big Tush/Little Tush' at The Groundling Theatre, L.A., 'Sound of Music' at The Academy Theatre, Chicago and 'Christmas Dragon' with the Group Repertory Theatre, L.A. Her film credits include: 'Virgin,' for which she won nominated for an Independent Spirit Award.

Ra�l Esparza most recently starred in the Tony-nominated revival of 'The Homecoming' for which he was nominated for a Tony Award. Prior to that he starred in the Tony-Award winning 'Company' (2006 revival), for which he received Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards and a Tony nomination. His previous Broadway appearances include' Taboo' (2003) for which he also received a Tony nomination, 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' (2005), 'The Rocky Horror Show' (2000 revival) and Cabaret (1998). He received a 2001 Theatre World Award for his Broadway debut in the revival of 'The Rocky Horror Show' (2000).

Jeremy Piven trained at the Piven Theatre Workshop,[3] founded by his actor parents Byrne Piven and Joyce Hiller. His film credits include: The Family Man, Black Hawk Down, Heat, PCU, Old School and Runaway Jury. He is known to many for playing the role of Hollywood agent Ari Gold in the HBO series Entourage, for which he was nominated for Emmy nominations for best supporting actor three straight years from 2005 to 2007, and won the award in 2006 and 2007. Piven starred in the Off-Broadway production of Neil LaBute's 'Fat Cow.'

Neil Pepe (director) is the artistic director of the Atlantic Theater Company,(which Mamet helded to start.) Speed-The-Plow will mark his Broadway debut.