Heresy: Karen Ziemba to replace Kathy Najimy

The Flea Theater has announced that Tony Award winner Karen Ziemba (Contact, Curtains, Never Gonna Dance, Steel Pier) will replace Kathy Najimy in the role of 'Phyllis' from 19 Oct 2012 in their production of A.R. Gurney's comedy Heresy. Najimy, is leaving the cast to begin filming a TV project.

Heresy opens at the Flea Theater on 11 Oct 2012, where it has been playing previews from 29 Sep 2012. The show is polaying a limited engagement through to 4 Nov 2012.

Directed by Jim Simpson, the cast also stars Annette O'Toole (Mary), Steve Mellor (Joseph), Reg E. Cathey (Pontius Pilate), Tommy Crawford (Mark), Danny Rivera (Pedro) and Ariel Woodiwiss (Lena).

Heresy: Set in the near future, Mary and Joseph have come to Homeland Security because their protesting son, Chris, has been taken into custody during the latest crackdown. They put their case before Pontius Pilate.

Gurney says, "Heresy is a new look at an old story. But it's really about the American Dream and what happens when Americans are told by their president to go shopping in the face of unspeakable terror."

The creative team featues sets by Kate Foster, costumes by Claudia Brown, lighting by Brian Aldous and sound by Jeremy S. Bloom.