Variety reports that two-time TONY winner Donna Murphy will join the cast of THE FOUNTAIN.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/variety/20041121/va_ne_al/sean_patrick_thomas_2

This is getting more and more exciting. Hugh is getting an excellent female support cast -Rachel Weisz, who was recently supposed to have undergone a buzz haircut for the role, Ellen Burstyn, and now, Donna Murphy! While I missed seeing her in WONDERFUL TOWN ( for which she was nominated for the 2004 TONY for best actress in a musical), I have the DVD of Sondheim's PASSION in which Donna was outstanding in the highly dramatic role of the obssessed Fosca. I had also seen her in a movie ( about a serial killer) and she projects equally well onscreen.

Ironically, while it would have been quite a casting coup to see these two triple threats onstage together, it is Hollywood which has given them the opportunity to work together. And not in a musical, either - but in a drama penned and directed by Darren Aronofsky!

Think Donna will show up on the set?

She was constantly out of "WT" and nobody seemed to know where she was.

I saw her in "Passion" a decade ago, and she was brilliant. That's when she decided to show up for work each night, not so lately.

Ellen

I suppose Mr. Aronofsky is aware of Donna's problems in the last year. Someone I know has heard of rumours that she had a bad case of acid reflux that was affecting her voice badly while she was doing Wonderful Town.

Something interesting - she and Hugh won the TDF Fred Astaire awards for the past season

Hugh didn't miss a single demanding show...Donna Murphy missed, how many, something like 60?

Yup. When I went to the Hirschfeld (formerly Martin Beck) box office & asked where Donna was, the staff shrugged and said, "Well, she's supposed to be here." In other words management had probably told them not to say anything about her many absences and to play dumb.

So nobody knew anything. Very professional. The posters on ATC have opined that nobody's going to hire her for another B'way show. Who knows?

Ellen

I saw Wonderful Town on one of Donna Murphy's absent days, not realizing that it was par for the course. Even with 3rd row center orchestra seats, the show didn't hold my interest. I left at half time for something far more compelling...stage door at the Imperial! Later a friend told me the reason I didn't care for the show - because Donna Murphy "was the show". I don't have a clue why she missed so many performances, but can you imagine TBFO with an understudy in 60 of the performances?