From left: Raviv Ullman, Morgan Spector, Janeane Garofalo, Daniel Oreskes, and Sarah Steele appear in a promotional photo for the 2012 Off Broadway play, Russian Transport. - Provided courtesy of The New Group / facebook.com/pages/The-New-Group

Janeane Garofalo stars in 'Russian Transport,' new Off Broadway play

01/30/2012 by Corinne Heller

Janeane Garofalo, known for her roles in films such as "Reality Bites" and "The Truth About Cats & Dogs" as well as her stand-up comedy, has taken on a new role on stage.

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The 47-year-old actress and comedienne stars in the Off Broadway play "Russian Transport," which sees her play Diana, a Russian immigrant who has moved to Brooklyn with her husband and two teenagers. As the family struggles to assimilate into American culture, hijinks ensue when the Dianna's "sexy and mysterious brother" brother, Boris, visits them.

The play opens officially on Monday, January 30, and will run until March 30 at the Acorn Theatre in New York City (get tickets here). Previews for the New Group production began on January 17. "Russian Transport" also stars Daniel Oreskes, Morgan Spector, Sarah Steele and Raviv Ullman.

Garofalo, a New Jersey native who has no children in real life and does not speak Russian, had to work with dialect coaches to perfect a Russian accent for her role.

She told the website TheaterMania.com: "The Russian itself was initially very difficult because there are so few similarities between Russian and English. It's much easier now. But when I hear myself with my own ears, I sound like I'm doing a crazy character! I actually do the accent constantly around the house, and my boyfriend Pete is irritated to no end. He rolls his eyes and leaves the room immediately."

Garofalo and Pete Caldes, a musician, live together in New York and have been together for at least 10 years. She and husband Robert Cohen split soon after their Las Vegas wedding in the 1990s.

Garofalo began her on-screen career in the late 1990s. She appeared on the comedy series "The Ben Stiller Show," which ran between 1992 and 1993, and she and Ben Stiller himself later starred in the Generation X cult film "Reality Bites." Garofalo played the best friend of Winona Ryder's character.

She later played the leading female role in the 1996 romantic comedy "The Truth About Cats & Dogs" and a year later, starred in the movies "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion" and "Half Baked." Also in the mid-1990s, Garofalo was a cast member on "Saturday Night Live" and played Paula on the sitcom "The Larry Sanders Show."

Garofalo voiced Sally Reardon in the drama series "Felicity" and starred in the film "Wet Hot American Summer" in 2001. Garofalo, who has often expressed leftist views in her stand-up shows, played Louise Thornton on the hit political drama "The West Wing" between 2005 and 2006. Three years later, she appeared as Janis Gold in the spy series "24."

Last year, Garofalo played Beth Griffith on the show "Criminal Minds." She has also filmed a part for the 2012 movie "Bad Parents," which stars Christopher Titus and fellow "Saturday Night Live" alum Cheri Oteri. In 2013, Garofalo is set to appear alongside "Suburgatory" actor Jeremy Sisto in the comedy film "For Better Or For Worse."