Tomei and Arquette to lead one-night LA benefit of 'This Is Crazy'

Marisa Tomei and Rosanna Arquette will headline the West Coast debut of “This Is Crazy” in Beverly Hills on Oct. 13. The one-night-only performance will play the Wallis Annenberg Performing Arts Center, with an after-party at the venue, as reported by Variety. It is staged as a benefit for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

The play is by V, formerly known as Eve Ensler, who also wrote and directed it. V is a Tony Award and Obie Award winner, according to a production announcement carried by Morningstar. The Los Angeles date is performed in memory of Chris Huvane. Huvane was a Hollywood talent manager who died by suicide in 2022.

Tomei and Arquette lead a company that also includes Lois Smith, Rudy Pankow, Rob Morrow, Rachel Hilson, Colette Hayes, Luke Ferrari and Olivia Oguma. Hilson and Smith both appeared in the earlier New York benefit staging. The listing is for one night only. One night is the whole run.

The production was developed as an idea by CAA’s Community & Impact, formerly the CAA Foundation. That is the agency’s social-impact arm, which develops charitable projects alongside its representation work. It is produced by Ruth-Ann Huvane and Tony Montenieri. Ruth-Ann Huvane is a mental health advocate and NAMI National Board member, while Montenieri is executive producer of Lotus Productions.

The New York benefit performance raised $500,000. That cast featured Jane Fonda, Edie Falco, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel Hilson, Sanaa Lathan and Lois Smith. Variety had previously reported that Fonda and Ruffalo were set to perform the piece in honour of Huvane, whose family has remained involved in the project through Ruth-Ann Huvane.

For fans, this means a narrow window. The performance and after-party take place on the same evening at The Wallis on Oct. 13, and proceeds support NAMI’s work.