MetroStage at the Lyceum Presents

A Reading of Cousin Bella by Sherman Yellen

Featuring

Adrienne Nelson and Michael Russotto

If you were lucky enough to meet Bella in 2019 at the Kennedy Center, you never forgot her. Because Bella is unforgettable! So, we are bringing her back to introduce her to even more of you.

MetroStage premiered a reading of this adaptation of Sherman Yellen’s memoir, at the Kennedy Center’s Page to Stage Festival Labor Day, 2019. Yellen is a great storyteller and has written several memoirs about his family in New York as Russian immigrants at the turn of the century, and his “Cousin Bella” has an incredible, bordering on unbelievable, story to tell. From Minsk to Rivington Street on the Lower East Side, Bella led a complicated, yet fascinating, life.

Adrienne Nelson will return as Cousin Bella, with Michael Russotto joining her on stage as Sherman. Director Nick Olcott also serves as sound designer.

Sherman Yellen is an Emmy Award winning screenwriter, playwright, lyricist, and book writer of musicals. We met Sherman when he came to MetroStage when we produced his musical “Josephine Tonight!” about Josephine Baker in 2012. We are delighted to bring Sherman’s beloved cousin back to introduce her to our Lyceum audience along with her old friends from the KC Page to Stage 2019.

BIOS

Adrienne Nelson (Bella)

Adrienne played Helena in "Occupied Territories", dir by Mollye Maxner for Theater Alliance (DC and Martha's Vineyard Productions) receiving a Helen Hayes nomination with the cast for Outstanding Ensemble. She also played Lurleen Wallace, Muriel Humphrey, LBJ’s Secretary and MLK’s Mistress in "All the Way" for Arena Stage, dir by Kyle Donnelly. Selected favorite credits/roles include playing Helen in Marja-Lewis Ryan's "One in the Chamber," playing Betsy in "Anna K" by Jacqueline E. Lawton, dir by Shirley Serotsky at Round House with the Hegira, Julia in the world premiere and remount of Psalmayene 24's "Out of the Vineyard", dir and choreographed by Tony Thomas II, Carla Carla in "Swimming in the Shallows" at Catalyst, directed by Scott Fortier, Time/Helen/Lilith in "Upshot" for forum, dir by Shirley Serotsky, Adrienne in "Swampoodle" with Solas Nuaand Dublin's Performance Corporation, dir by Jo Mangan, Mephistopheles in "Doctor Faustus" (Best of the Fringe), Hester Salomon in "Equus" at WSC, dir by Lee Mikeska Gardner, Phyllis in "Lake Untersee" for Source, dir by Rick Hammerly, Sanja in "Belgrade Trilogy" for SCENA, Titania in Qui Nguyen's "Living Dead in Denmark" for Rorschach, dir by Casey Kaleba, Duchess of York in "Richard II" and "Buckingham" in "Richard III" for WSC,  Linda in "Kafka's Dick", dir by Joe Banno, "Jumpers" at WSC and [sic] at Theater Alliance, both dir by Kathleen Akerley, understudying Gertrude in Joe Haj's "Hamlet" at the Folger, Emma in the DC premiere of Sam Shepard's "God of Hell", directed by the late lovely H. Lee Gable, and Lady M & Ensemble in "shkspr prjct" for Catalyst, where she and her cast and director Kathleen Akerley received a Helen Hayes nom for Outstanding Choreography. She co-starred as Ms. Blinsky in "House of Cards" for the big Russian episode/ Chapter 29, and dialect coached the Russian for Lars Mikkelsen/ Viktov Petrov for 16 episodes in Seasons 3, 4, 5 and 6 and coached accent adjustments for Alexander Sokovikov/Moryakov for 5 episodes. She also played Grigor Andolov’s/John Malkovich's  Russian X wife in two episodes of "Billions" for Showtime. Adrienne played Dunyasha in the film Cherry Orchard directed by Michael Skinner and Ivan Kovatchev, played Melania Trump in the short "Vans 3, finally", dir by Ralph Scherer and starring "House of Card's" Michael Kelly, and can be seen as washed-up scream queen Vera Mills in "Thespian" on Amazon, directed by Marc and Maria Unger. She coached the Russian and Russian dialects for "This Much I Know" in DC and Off-Broadway at 59E59, dir by Hayley Finn, coached the Russian dialects for Anna Ziegler's "The Last Match" for 1st Stage, dir by Alex Levy, and is currently coaching the Russian and Russian dialects for the world premiere of Gabe McKinley's "REYKJAVIK86" for Dallas Theater Center, directed by Jaime Castaneda.

Check out adrienne-nelson.com for other credits, coaching & more! 

Michael Russotto (Sherman) MetroStage: Lonely Planet; The Letters, The Girl in the Goldfish Bowl, Rough Crossing.  Most recently: Woolly Mammoth/Theater J: The World to Come; Woolly Mammoth Theatre: A Bright New Boise (H.H. Nom); She Stoops to Comedy(H.H. Nom); The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Diety; Lenny and Lou; Wonder of the World; Fuddy Meers; The Art Room; The Faculty Room; Full Circle; House of Gold; Vigils; The Marriage of Mr. Mississippi; The Pitchfork Disney.  1st Stage: The Nance (Helen Hayes Award).  Arena Stage: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner; Legacy of Light; Junk; On the Jump;The Wild Duck.  Ford’s Theatre: My Lord What a Night; Twelve Angry Men; Death of a Salesman. Theater J: The Hatmaker's Wife; Tuesdays with Morrie; The Christians; The Tattooed Girl; The Sisters Rosensweig; Born Guilty; Falling Out of Time.  Olney Theatre: A Christmas Carol; The Joy that Carries You; The Amateurs; The Crucible, Neville's Island. Rep Stage: The Whale (H.H. Nom). Cleveland Play House: Between Riverside and Crazy.  Round House Theatre: The Book of Will.    Film: A Civil Civil Servant; Playing Through.  2025 Recipient of The Andrews-Hopkins Award for Excellence in Theatre Arts.

Nick Olcott (Director) has been acting, writing, and directing for the theatre for more than forty years. He is delighted to be back at MetroStage, where his previous productions include Beyond the Fringe, Good Evening, The Crummels’ Christmas Carol (writer and director), What the Butler Saw, Master Class, and a reading of Shakespeare’s Will.

At1st Stage, he has directedMy Name is Asher Lev, Floyd Collins, andThe Nance,which was recognized as the Outstanding Production (Helen) of 2024 by the Helen Hayes Awards. He has received numerous Helen Hayes nominations in four fields: as an actor, as a director, as a choreographer, and as a writer. His playSherlock Holmes and the Case of the Purloined Patiencereceived the Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play of 1997. Other credits includeConstellation Theatre Company, Adventure Theatre MTC,Theatre J,Round House

Sherman Yellen, screenwriter, playwright, and lyricist, was nominated for a Tony Award for his book for the musical, The Rothschilds. Sherman's plays include Strangers, a biographical drama about Sinclair Lewis produced on Broadway, and the drama December Fools, produced off Broadway.  His original musicals appeared at Goodspeed and the Berkshire Festival.  His new musical, Josephine Tonight!, tracing the early life of Josephine Baker from Jim Crow America to Paris in the twenties, was produced in Chicago and at MetroStage in Alexandria and praised for its pure musical comedy style, and it’s funny, sexy, exuberant score, it has hit written all over it.' His comedy sketch “”Delicious Indignities” was a highlight of Oh! Calcutta!.  Sherman's screenwriting has won him two Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award, first for his drama John Adams, Lawyer in the PBS series The Adams Chronicles, and later for An Early Frost, a groundbreaking drama about AIDS in America. His Beauty and the Beast with George C. Scott was nominated for an Emmy and won the Christopher Award. Sherman’s published biographies include “Spotless” the story of his New York boyhood, “Cousin Bella” and “December Fools and other plays.”  He is married and the father of two sons, Nicholas and Christopher, and two granddaughters.