PHOTO CALL: Jessica Biel, Carla Gugino, Kathryn Erbe and More Celebrate Ethan Coen's Happy Hour Opening

PHOTO CALL: Jessica Biel, Carla Gugino, Kathryn Erbe and More Celebrate Ethan Coen's Happy Hour Opening

By Matthew Blank06 Dec 2011

Off-Broadway's Atlantic Theater Company opened the world premiere of Happy Hour, a collection of three one-act comedies by Academy Award winner Ethan Coen, Dec. 5 following previews from Nov. 16 at the Peter Norton Space on West 42nd Street. Joey Slotnick, Clark Gregg and Aya Cash are among the players.

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Playwright and filmmaker Coen ("No Country for Old Men") is currently represented on Broadway with one-third of Relatively Speaking,a trio of one-act comedies that also features the work of Woody Allen and Elaine May. Coen's comedies Almost an Evening and Offices premiered at ATC.

For Happy Hour, ATC artistic director Neil Pepe (Broadway's Speed the Plow) directs an ensemble cast that includes Cassie Beck (Atlantic's Oohrah!), Aya Cash (Offices), Clark Gregg ("Iron Man," "The New Adventures of Old Christine"), Susan Hyon (Crane Story), Rock Kohli, Gordon MacDonald ("Trumbo," "Saving Grace"), Amanda Quaid (Equus), Ana Reeder (Top Girls), Joey Slotnick (Almost an Evening) and Lenny Venito.

View the Entire Photo GalleryThe cast takes a bowPhot! o by Mon ica Simoes

Happy Hourplays a limited engagement through Dec. 31 Off-Broadway at Signature Theatre Company's Peter Norton Space (552 W. 42nd Street) while Atlantic's main stage in Chelsea continues to be renovated.

Here's how ATC characterizes Happy Hour: "An embittered barfly has a theory or two about what the world has become. A lonely young man and lonely young woman can't see how right they are for each other. His motel room is so ugly a business traveler wants to end it all. Your life could be worse and these three one-act comedies show you how."

Coen made his Off-Broadway debut with the acclaimed world premiere of Almost an Evening, which transferred Off-Broadway following a sold-out extended Atlantic Stage 2 run, and the world premiere of Offices. Coen has made 15 movies with his brother Joel, including the Academy Award-winning films "No Country for Old Men" and "Fargo"; "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"; "Raising Arizona"; "Barton Fink"; "The Hudsucker Proxy"; "The Big Lebowski"; "Burn After Reading" and "True Grit."

The creative team for Happy Hour includes scenic designer Riccardo Hernandez, costume designer Sarah Edwards, lighting designer Jason Lyons and sound designer David Van Tieghem.

Happy Hourplays Tuesday-Saturday at 8 PM, Wednesday and Saturday at 2 PM, Sunday at 3 PM. There are added performances Dec. 23 at 2 PM, Dec. 19 and 26 at 8 PM. There are no performances Dec. 6 or Dec. 24-25. There is no 8 PM show Dec. 31.

Visit www.atlantictheater.org.