Broward Center for the Performing Arts and Matthew Lombardo present the Barrington Stage production of Becoming Dr. Ruth with Debra Jo Rupp as Dr. Ruth Westheimer at the Parker Playhouse in Fort Lauderdale from Wednesday, May 7 through Sunday, May 11. Tickets are on sale now for the acclaimed Mark St. Germain play, which is directed by Julianne Boyd and is part of the WinterStage Series at the Parker Playhouse. The production comes direct from New York and will be produced by Michael Alden, Stefany Bergson and Rodger Hess.
Direct from its critically acclaimed New York run and kicking off its tour right here in Fort Lauderdale, Becoming Dr. Ruth comes to the Parker Playhouse. Everyone knows Dr. Ruth Westheimer from her career as a pioneering radio and television sex therapist. Few, however, know the incredible journey that preceded it. From fleeing the Nazis in the Kindertransport and joining the Haganah in Jerusalem as a scout and sniper, to her struggles to succeed as a single mother coming to America, Karola Ruth Siegel – the girl who became ‘Dr. Ruth’- has a remarkable backstory. Becoming Dr. Ruth is filled with the humor, honesty and life-affirming spirit of ‘Dr. Ruth’ -America’s most famous sex therapist!
Performance times are: Wednesday, May 7 at 8 p.m.; Thursday, May 8 at 2 and 8 p.m.; Friday, May 9 and Saturday, May 10 at 2 and 8 p.m.; and Sunday, May 11 at 1 p.m. A special benefit night will be held in honor of Broward House on Friday, May 9. Use promo code BROWARD when purchasing your tickets; 20% of your ticket cost will go straight to the service organization. There will be a VIP reception with Debra Jo Rupp after the Friday performance.
Individual tickets are $28, $46.50 and $66.50 with discounted tickets for groups of 10 or more priced at $26, $42 and $60. Tickets and group discounts are available at 954.462.0222 or select a seat online at ParkerPlayhouse.com. Tickets are also available for purchase at the Parker Playhouse box office Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 5 p.m.
BIOS
Debra Jo Rupp received rave reviews for her performance as Dr. Ruth in New York and is 
perhaps best known for her portrayal of Kitty Forman on the FOX sitcom That ’70s Show. She also appeared on Broadway with Kathleen Turner and Charles Durning in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and starred Off-Broadway in Cynthia Heimel’s A Girl’s Guide to Chaos, Frankie and Johnny in The Clair de Lune and The Butcher of Baraboo. Debra Jo has made over 300 television and film appearances. Her feature films include playing Jay Baruchelʼs mom in Sheʼs Out of My League, Kickin It Old Skool, Air Buddies, Clockwatchers with Toni Collette and Parker Posey, Spymate, Lucky 13, Sgt. Bilko with Steve Martin and Dan Aykroyd, and her first film Big with Tom Hanks. Among her notable television appearances are booking agent Katie on Seinfeld, Phoebeʼs sister-in-law on Friends and From the Earth to the Moon (dir. Sally Field), ER, The Office and Better With You to name a few.
Playwright Mark St. Germain is the writer of The Best of Enemies and Freud’s Last Session. Other plays include Camping with Henry and Tom (Lucille Lortel and Outer Critics Circle Awards), Ears on a Beatle, The God Committee and Out of Gas on Loverʼs Leap. With composer Randy Courts, Mark wrote the musicals The Gifts of the Magi, Johnny and Jackʼs Holiday. He wrote the Tammy Wynette musical Stand by Your Man for the Ryman Theater in Nashville. Television work includes writing/creative consulting for The Cosby Show. Mark co-wrote Director Carroll Ballardʼs film Duma and produced and directed the documentary My Dog, An Unconditional Love Story, with Richard Gere, Glenn Close, Edward Albee, Lynn Redgrave and many others.
Director Julianne Boyd founded the Barrington Stage Company (BSC) in January 1995. She previously directed Becoming Dr. Ruth under the title of Dr. Ruth, All the Way at Barrington Stage in 2012. Other directorial credits at BSC include Mark St. Germainʼs Best of Enemies in 2011, Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, A Streetcar Named Desire, West Side Story, Follies, Cyrano de Bergerac and The Importance of Being Earnest.
The design team includes Brian Prather (sets), Jen Moeller (costumes), Scott Pinkney (lights) and Jessica Paz (sound).
The Parker Playhouse, located in Holiday Park at 707 N.E. Eighth Street in Fort Lauderdale, is an affiliated venue of the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, which provides programming and management of the facility.
