WESTPORT–“The Subject Was Roses,” the Pulitzer and Tony-winning play about a World War II soldier returning home to his parents’ troubled marriage, will return to the Westport Country Playhouse for a reading as part of the Script in Hand series, at 7 p.m. on March 2.

“A landmark of American drama, it is gratifying to present it once more on a stage long devoted to works of emotional truth and humanity,” said Joe Delafield, a Playhouse artistic associate who will direct the reading. “This is a play that is equally humorous and heart-wrenchingly honest, and reminds us of the humanity that shapes our most meaningful relationships. It’s a story with themes that continue to echo across the generations.”

Written by Frank D. Gilroy, the play won the 1965 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and a Tony Award for Best Play.

Etai Benson, known for Broadway roles in “Company,” “The Band’s Visit” and “Wicked,” will play Timmy Cleary, the soldier returning home to the Bronx. His attempt to bring about a reconciliation between his parents exposes “years of resentment and emotional distance,” the Playhouse said in a release. “As tensions rise, the family is forced to confront the truth of their relationships and the life they share.”

Cleary’s parents will be played by Isabel Keating, whose credits include Broadway, TV and movie roles, with a Tony nomination for “The Boy from Oz,” and Lenny Wolpe, who appeared in “Bullets Over Broadway” on Broadway and several Playhouse presentations.

The Playhouse produced “The Subject Was Roses” in 1966 and 1982, “and it feels long overdue for a return,” said Mark Shanahan, Script in Hand series curator and Playhouse artistic director.

“The play’s focus on unspoken tensions and one family’s emotional distance remain strikingly relevant, portraying a family living with the consequences of years of misunderstanding,” Shanahan said. “I have no doubt ‘The Subject Was Roses’ will deeply move Playhouse audiences today just as it did in the past.”

Faith Sandberg will read stage directions.

“Script in Hand play readings offer intimate storytelling as professional actors use their skills to catapult the audience’s imagination without benefit of scenery or costumes,” the Playhouse release said. A video on Script in Hand is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2eWDaF-JXA

Westport Country Playhouse

25 Powers Court, Westport, Connecticut 06880

www.westportplayhouse.org

^{_{The Westport Country Playhouse is a non-profit that produces theater from playwrights, actors, directors, and designers of all backgrounds, while entertaining audiences and exploring human and societal issues along the way. Image Robert Benson.}}