'The Exorcist' Opens Wednesday

The world premiere of "The Exorcist," starring Brooke Shields and Richard MacNeil, opens Wednesday at the .

Written by John Pielmeier, the play is a stage adaptation of the famous novel by William Peter Blatty. Tony award-winning John Doyle directed the play.

“The story of the battle between faith and evil needed no spinning heads or green vomit,” Pielmeier said in a press release. “The horror should unfold instead on a simple set with an incredible cast (which we absolutely have), and the central conflict between doubting Father Karras and the demon should be a series of debates, in which the young girl possessed is the least of the figures present.”

Cast
David Wilson Barnes:  Father Damien Karras
Stephen Bogardus:  Dr. Strong
Richard Chamberlain:  Father Merrin
Manoel Felciano:   Father Joe
Harry Groener:   Burke Dennings
Tom Nelis:    Dr. Klein
Roslyn Ruff:   Carla
Brooke Shields:   Chris MacNeil
Emily Yetter:   Regan MacNeil

"The Exorcist" is scheduled through August 12 at the Gil Cates Theater at the Geffen Playhouse. Performances are at 8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturday, and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Sunday. For tickets and more information, visit geffenplayhouse.com.