OUR ALL STAR CAST LINE UP
Marilu Henner
Five-time Golden Globe nominee Marilu Henner has starred in 78 films, including L.A. Story (American Comedy Award), Noises Off, Johnny Dangerously, and 31 Hallmark movies; two Emmy Award-winning sitcoms (“Taxi,” “Evening Shade”); and numerous TV appearances.
Broadway: Gettin’ the Band Back Together, Tale of the Allergist’s Wife, Chicago, Social Security, Pal Joey, Over Here, and Grease. In the original Chicago production of Grease, she created the role of Marty. National tours: Annie Get Your Gun (Jefferson Award) and Grease; Off-Broadway: Journals of Adam and Eve, Madwoman of the West. A board member of Bucks County Playhouse, she starred in Tale of the Allergist’s Wife, Vanya, Sonia, Masha, and Spike, and Noises Off (Broadway World Regional Nominee).
A New York Times bestselling author of 10 books on health, memory, and parenting, Marilu is one of 12 people identified with HSAM (Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory) featured on “60 Minutes.”
She has testified before Congress 11 times on Alzheimer’s, nutrition, and women’s health, and is a keynote speaker on memory, fitness, parenting, cancer survival, and hospice advocacy.
She has hosted talk shows (“Marilu,” “Shape Up Your Life”) and a syndicated radio show, and appeared on “Celebrity Apprentice” and “Dancing with the Stars.”
She currently hosts the podcast “Between the Sheets,” appears on CBS’s “The Neighborhood,” in 3 indie films, and Hallmark’s “Aurora Teagarden,” and stars in her one-woman show, Music & Memories.
Marsha Mason
Marsha Mason is a four-time Academy Award nominee for her starring roles in The Goodbye Girl (BAFTA nomination), Chapter Two, Only When I Laugh and Cinderella Liberty. She has received two Golden Globe Awards for her film roles and an Emmy Award nomination for “Frasier.” Her notable series appearances include her roles on “Grace and Frankie” and “The Middle.” On Broadway, Marsha has been seen in Impressionism with Jeremy Irons, Steel Magnolias, The Night of the Iguana, King Richard III, and Cactus Flower. For her performance in the Off-Broadway play Little Gem, she received the Outer Critics Circle Award. She has directed productions of Steel Magnolias, An Act of God, and Chapter Two as well co-directing and starring in Lost In Yonkers at Hartford Stage. On Broadway she was Associate Director on All My Sons starring Annette Bening and The Roommate with Patti LuPone and Mia Farrow. She has appeared on many regional stages including the Lincoln Center concert production of Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music.
Julia Sweeney
Julia’s career took off in the 1990s as a cast member of “Saturday Night Live.” Over the course of nearly five seasons, Julia created several memorable characters, most notably the androgynous character Pat, which became a cultural phenomenon.
Beyond her memorable “SNL” tenure, Julia has made appearances in numerous television shows and films. Some of her more recent TV performances include her roles in “American Gods,” “Work In Progress,” and “Shrill.” Her work in feature films includes Pulp Fiction and the about-to-be released film The Threesome. She also has an extensive voiceover resume, including Monsters University and “Family Guy.”
As a monologist, Julia has written and directed 4 one-person shows which have garnered critical acclaim. For her debut show God Said, Ha!, Julia was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Solo Performance. The album of God Said, Ha! received a Grammy Nomination for Best Comedy Album, and the film adaptation was executive produced by Quentin Tarantino. Julia’s 2019 monologue, “Julia Sweeney: Older and Wider,” received rave reviews and sold out at the acclaimed Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. You can watch some of her one-person shows on her Substack channel, or on YouTube at: www.youtube.com/@juliasweeneymeh
Benja K. Thomas
Benja Kay Thomas is an accomplished actress known for her extensive theater, film, and television work. She originated the role of “Rabby” in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Fat Ham. She is also featured on the original cast recording of Fat Ham on Audible, directed by Saheem Ali, at The Public Theater, on Broadway, and at the Geffen Theater in California.
Additionally, she stood by for Phylicia Rashad in Skeleton Crew on Broadway, directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson.
Her Off-Broadway credits include Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven by Stephen Adly Guirgis, Miller, Mississippi by Boo Killebrew, and Robert O’Hara's Bootycandy and Barbecue at Playwrights Horizons and The Public Theater.
Thomas is a two-time Obie Award winner and a recipient of an AUDELCO Award. In film, she appeared in A Love Song, which premiered at Sundance, Detective Chinatown 2, and the cult classic A Gun For Jennifer. Her television appearances include roles in “FBI” (CBS), “Gotham” (Fox), and “Friends of the People” (TruTV).
Beyond her acting career, Thomas is passionate about photography, writing, and preserving the card game Bid Whist.
She is a proud Actors' Equity Association (AEA) and SAG-AFTRA member. For more insights into her career and personal journey, she was featured on the podcast “My Fourth Act” and “Backstage Stories Podcast.”
You can follow her on Instagram at @sweetbenja. Facebook @Benja K. Thomas
Lana Young
Lana Young (Understudy) Lana’s US stage credits: Mrs. Bennet in Pride and Prejudice, Paulina in The Winter’s Tale at Hartford Stage, Fever Dreams at TheatreWorks. Uk credits: Lady M, Lona Hessel in Pillars of the Community, The Graduate. TV/FILM appearances include WandaVision, The Resident, Law & Order, Greenleaf, Southpaw, The Girl on the Train and Tyler Perry’s A Jazzman’s Blues, earning her an NAACP Image Award nomination. This is her Off-Broadway debut. IG @actorlanayoung www.imdb.me/lana