World Premiere, 'The Good German', with Boyd Gaines, Begins in Westport

Three-time Tony-winner Boyd Gaines will lead the cast of The Good German by David Wiltse, which will have its premiere at the Westport Country Playhouse in Connecticut. Performances began June 25 and will continue through July 12. The play "tells the story of a couple who, against the objections of the husband, harbors a Jewish publisher under the nose of their Nazi friend. Dangerous circumstances force all concerned to examine attitudes of morality, hate, and human decency." James Naughton, who directed the Broadway transfer of Our Town last year, is at the helm. Also in the cast are Casey Biggs, Kathleen McNenny and Victor Slezak (who replaced Naughton in the Off-Broadway play Roses in December earlier this spring). Biggs and McNenny play the sheltering German couple. Slezak in the Jewish publisher, and Gaines, playing against type, is the Nazi. Wiltse's Temporary Help was given a production Off-Broadway this past season. His best known play is probably the 1985 Broadway comedy Doubles. Gaines won his Tonys for The Heidi Chronicles, She Loves Me and Contact. The last was his most recent Broadway appearance. Others include Company, The Show-Off and Cabaret.