WSKG Public Media is proud to partner with New York City theatre company, Cause Celebre for a deeply compelling, hour-long film entitled “Did You Know My Husband?” directed by Antony Marsellis and written by Susan Charlotte. This dramatic and unique production, which brings together Tony and Emmy Award winners Louise Lasser and Carole Shelley, revolves around the loss of one’s memory while gaining an important connection.
Mr. Marsellis has directed numerous works of Pulitzer-Prize and Tony Award-winning writers, performed by Broadway and film stars. He has premiered a number of seminal works including the one-act version of Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie, A.R. Gurney’s The Love Course, Tom Fontana’s This Is On Me and has brought to the screen Tony Award winner John Gline’s Men of Manhattan. He also collaborated with Susan Charlotte on several projects, including the film and play versions of The Shoemaker.
Having written for CBS and Lifetime, Ms. Charlotte is pleased to be returning to television with “Did You Know My Husband?”. She has written over 50 plays and screenplays which often explore important causes. The Shoemaker, which starred Oscar Nominee Danny Aiello and Tony-Award winner Judith Light, is one such example. Both the play and film versions deal with 9/11. Another one of her plays, Love Divided By, which was also made into a film, deals with mental illness. The film, which has an original score by Philip Glass, was chosen to open the Museum of Modern Art’s Titus II.
“Did You Know My Husband?” stars Emmy nominated actress Louise Lasser and two-time Tony-award winning actress Carole Shelley, with Catherine Chadwick and Michael Citriniti. Lasser and Shelley play two women, who find themselves together after they have just finished a Thanksgiving dinner. The other guests are off in another room. It seems as if these two women have met before. But where and how is only revealed at the end, as both women, caught in an emotional labyrinth, try to find their way out. Heartfelt drama and suspense build throughout, highlighted by an original score that is both haunting and mesmerizing.
Ms. Lasser, who has hosted “Saturday Night Live” twice, is best known for her starring role in the 1970’s hit television show “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.” Recently she was featured in HBO’s “Girls.” She also co-starred with then-husband Woody Allen in movies such as Bananas and Take the Money and Run. In addition to her numerous film roles, Ms. Lasser starred on Broadway in Thieves and I Can Get It for You Wholesale.
Ms. Shelley won the Tony Award for best actress in The Elephant Man. She created the role of Madame Morrible in the original Broadway cast of Wicked and starred in the Broadway musical Billy Elliot. She co-starred with Nicole Kidman in the movie, Bewitched and with Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau in The Odd Couple. Her last dramatic role was in “Did You Know My Husband?”
Catherine Chadwick’s film and television credits include the acclaimed TV movie, The Normal Heart and the TV series—"Blue Bloods”, “White Collar” and “Z: The Beginning of Everything”. Michael Citriniti’s credits include the movie Goodfellas and the sci-fi series "Hideous!", which aired on HBO.
The film’s original score was composed by four-time Emmy Award winner Billy Goldenberg. Mr. Goldenberg has written music for film, theatre, and television for such icons as Steven Spielberg, Michael Bennett, Elvis Presley, and Barbra Streisand. He also composed the theme songs to many TV classics including Columbo, Kojak, Rhoda and Night Gallery.
In addition to the film, we go behind the scenes of the production and Cause Celebre, whose mission is to connect important issues with television, film, and theatre. We are privy to intimate and revealing conversations with the cast and creative team.
The film was produced by Cause Celebre, LTD. and WSKG Public Media.
"Did You Know My Husband?" premiered on WSKG on Thursday, November 8, 2018 and will be rebroadcast on Thursday, December 27, 2018 at 8:00 pm.
Photo Credit: WSKG