Dan Castellaneta (of “The Simpsons” Fame) to Direct Stage Comedy

Dan Castellaneta (“The Simpsons,” “The Tracey Ullman Show”) is thrilled and honored to direct the great Paul Dooley (“Breaking Away,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Grace Under Fire,” “Dream On”, “Sixteen Candles”) in the new stage comedy OLD MAN IN A BIG CAR that plays at the Fanatic Salon Theater in Culver City the weekends of November 4-6, 11-13 and 18-20).

Written by Deb Lacusta, OLD MAN IN A BIG CAR is described as a comedic “King Lear,” featuring the 88-year- old Dooley in a starring role just a few months removed from his own one-man show UPRIGHT AND PERSONAL in July at the Hollywood Fringe Festival.

“Paul remains sharp as a tack,” Castellaneta raves. “We’d long known him as having emerged from this kind of early generation of improvisers, guys who would show up and do stuff that inspired us and kind of showed us how it was done. And when we decided to put this play up, we asked Paul if he’d be interested in doing the production. We got lucky and he said ‘Yes.’ I mean, this man is one of the greatest character actors of all time. So it’s a coup.”

Dooley has a long history of stage work dating to his star turn in Neil Simon’s “The Odd Couple” on Broadway in 1965. This latest production – like his one-man show –represents something of a departure for him in that he typically isn’t the center of attention.

Observes Castellaneta: “He’s just a tried-and- true character actor who you always see in stuff and always does a terrific job. Very rarely is he the star but he always works and always plays memorable characters. You always remember him in anything he’s appeared in. For this role, we needed somebody who was well-versed in comedy but also carries the acting chops to do the drama. And Paul’s got it in spades.”

OLD MAN IN A BIG CAR also stars Eliza Coyle, Emily Bell, Bill Gunther, Amir Levi and Conner Scott. It plays at the Fanatic Salon Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. for the duration of its three-weekend run.

Tickets are available at www.oldmaninabigcar.brownpapertickets.com for $20. The price is $25 at the door. For more information, call (310) 285-4686.