The Last Word. . .

Emmy Award winner Daniel J. Travanti ("Hill Street Blues") stars in the
Malibu Stage Co.'s world premiere production of Oren Safdie's "The Last Word ...",
opening July 9 on the Malibu Stage. Previews begin July 7 with a run
continuing through July 31.

From the author of last year’s off-Broadway hit, "Private Jokes, Public
Places", comes "The Last Word..." a new play written by Oren Safdie. Emmy Award
winner Daniel J. Travanti ("Hill Street Blues") will play Henry Hochhauser, a
retired advertising executive, desperately trying to leave his mark in the
theatrical world before he expires. Peter Smith ("Invention Of Love", "Private
Jokes, Public Places") will play Len Artz, a young NYU student interviewing to
become Henry's assistant. This smart two-hander is a thought provoking comedy
about friendship, loyalty, dreams and, ultimately, coming to terms with failure.
When Safdie's previous play, "Private Jokes, Public Places" opened
off-Broadway last year, it received high critical praise: DJR Bruckner of The New York
Times wrote, "... a biting send-up of architects, a battle of wits between
four sharply defined characters. The verbal dexterity alone is mesmerizing…an
hour and a quarter of laughter." The New Yorker called it, "a scream…a short,
tight play, and an X-acto-blade sharp comedy." And Terry Teachout of The Wall
Street Journal concluded, "Mr. Safdie has done the impossible: He’s written an
unpretentiously witty play of ideas about some of the most pretentious ideas
known to man…The funniest new play to hit New York in months.”

Daniel J. Travanti won two Emmy Awards as Captain Frank Furillo on TV's "Hill
Street Blues." Recent stage credits include "Old Wicked Songs" and "All My
Sons" at The Old Globe Theatre in San Diego. Other memorable productions include
the 1965 New York Shakespeare Festival production of "Othello" with James
Earl Jones, Broadway's "Twigs" opposite Sada Thompson and the Globe's 1977
production of "The Taming of the Shrew".

Peter Smith will be reunited with Travanti after playing opposite him in "Old
Wicked Songs" at the Globe. Recent Broadway and off-Broadway credits include
Tom Stoppard's "Invention Of Love", Safdie's "Private Jokes, Public Places"
and Daniel Goldfarb's "Modern Orthodox".

Oren Safdie wrote the film "You Can Thank Me Later," co-starring Ellen
Burstyn, Amanda Plummer, Mary McDonnell and Genevieve Bujold, which played the
Montreal World Film Festival and The Newport Film Festival, where it won the
Audience Appreciation Award. Safdie's other plays include "Jews & Jesus", "Fiddler
Sub-Terrain", "Hyper-Allergenic", "Broken Places" and "La Compagnie", which he
developed into a pilot for CBS/Castle Rock.

Directed by Safdie, "The Last Word ..." will be presented by Jackie Bridgeman
and the Malibu Stage Comapny.

"The Last Word..." performs Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m.,
and Sunday's at 5:00 p.m., at the Malibu Stage Co. (29243 Pacific Coast
Highway, just north of Heathercliff Road). performances on Wednesdays.) All tickets
are $25, $20 on Thursdays and previews. Call 310-589-1998 for tickets or more information.