Photo Source: MEGA
Baltimore's own John Waters will join the cast of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" in the upcoming season 4 of the upcoming Emmy-Award winning comedy. Seen above in some recently-released preview photos, the Maryland actor is seen chatting with lead actress Rachel Brosnahan on a park bench in New York's Central Park. We can only guess that the comedic genius is doling out some advice on a punchline or how to deliver the perfect story.
Since its 2017 debut, the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel series has swept the awards, stealing the hearts of America. Mrs. Miriam Maisel, lovingly known as "Midge" is a heartwarming 1950s divorcee with a talent for standup comedy where her recent ex-husband had none. (Caution: Spolier alert) In its first season, the comedy-drama weaves the hard-to-resist tale of Midge, who at first tries to support her husband's endeavors, but then, upon discovering his infidelity, unleashes her own torrent of deep-cutting humor onstage, much to the delight (and some shock) to a rapt audience. From there, she is unstoppable.
The show's third season shows Midge embarking on her first tour, appearing as the opening act for an impressive singer with his own shocking backstory. Season 4 will bring her story out of the 1950s and into the 1960s, along with the appearance of Waters.
Waters indicates that he's only appearing in one episode at this point, but as the story unfolds, we could see more. The series relies far less on extras than it has in the past, as it continues filming with far fewer extras, thanks to the COVID-19 safe set. Some past episodes have taken place on nusy New York streets, or at the family's summer resort location, relying heavily on hundreds of extra actors. Now, though, participation in extras is limited for the time being. Guest actors like Waters, though, are a treat.
Waters has appeared in several other television opportunities in his illustrious career, including Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, which is also filmed in New York City, where he plays a recurring role as Floyd Cougat the “Pornmonger Man,” and he played the director William Castle on Feud: Bette and Joan, and played himself on The Blacklist.
The details of Waters' character are being kept tightly secret. Amazon Stuios casting has offered no details other than to confirm that Waters appears in the upcoming season. The 74-year old is known for his comedic genius, and still performs locally in Baltimore at many spoken word performances. The creator of Hairspray, and Pink Flamingoes, Waters recently donated around 375 pieces from his personal art collection to the Baltimore Museum of Art.
Waters is a Baltimore die-hard fan, calling Baltimore his home and never having been lured away to Los Angeles or New York the way many stars are. He can still be found frequently hanging out at Baltimore's vintage theatre, the Parkway, where folks can take in a viewing of many indie films, or a location like Atomic Books, which he calls his home away from home.
Photo courtesy of Vogue Magazine
In the first three seasons, Marelous Mrs. Maisel won 20 Emmy awards and 3 Golden Globe awards, including Best Comedy Series both. Fans eagerly await the release of season 4, but production for the season 4 was scheduled to start in mid-2020, but was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Filming at last began in January. A premiere date for Season 4 has not yet been announced Fans speculate that it may finally begin in December, something of a Hanukkah and Christmas gift to loyal fans.
In addition to Brosnahan, the show's cast stars Alex Borstein as Mrs. Maisel's steadfast manager, Tony Shalhoub, Marin Hinkle, Michael Zegen, Kevin Pollak, Caroline Aaron, Jane Lynch and Luke Kirby as Lenny Bruce.