Mike Nussbaum to return to TimeLine Theatre stage this Fall

Acclaimed Chicago actor, Mike Nussbaum, who most recently won raves for his performance in the TimeLine Theatre revival of Arthur Miller’s “The Price,” will return in a TimeLine production this Fall.

The actor, 92, will be featured in the Chicago premiere of Stephen Sachs’ “Bakersfield Mist,” the initial production of TimeLine’s 20th anniversary season, to be staged at the company’s “satellite space” at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont, where it will run Aug. 19 – Oct. 15. Co-starring in the show, which is to be directed by Kevin Christopher Fox, will be Janet Ulrich Brooks.

A look at what makes art—and people—authentic, “Bakersfield Mist” is about Maude, an unemployed bartender living in a trailer park, who has bought the ugliest thrift store painting she could get her hands on as a gag gift. However, when she is told that it might in fact be the “find of the century”—an undiscovered work by the famed Jackson Pollock—she invites a world-class art expert to decide if it’s a forgery or the real thing, worth millions.

Sachs’ play had its world premiere at the Fountain Theatre in Los Angeles (where he is co-artistic director) in 2011, and was named Best New Play by StageSceneLA. It has since enjoyed a run on London’s West End at the Duchess Theatre starring Kathleen Turner and Ian McDiarmid.

PJ Powers, TimeLine’s artistic director, noted: “This hilarious and provocative play captures the class divide which permeates our country, while also exploring the nature and value of art. It’s a play that will surely get you thinking and talking—two of the goals that have fueled TimeLine for two decades. I can’t wait to see what TimeLine’s roaring 20s will hold.”

The production team for “Bakersfield Mist” includes Jeffrey D. Kmiec (Scenic Designer), Jared Gooding (Lighting Designer), Christine Pascual (Costume Designer), Andrew Hansen (Sound Designer).

For tickets and information, visit timelinetheatre.com or call the Stage 773 Box Office at (773) 327-5252.