Leo reads part on the 'Side'

Melissa Leo has signed on to appear alongside Zachary Quinto in a benefit reading of Warren Leight play "Side Man" in East Hampton later this month. Leo and Quinto will be joined by five thesps, including Angelica Torn and Frank Wood, who appeared in the play's original Broadway cast in 1998. Reading will benefit legit troupe Naked Angels, which was involved in the early development of the play. Quinto, who had an Off Broadway stint last season in the revival of "Angels in America," plays the son of a struggling jazz musician played by Wood, who won a Tony for his perf. Leo has signed on as the musician's alcoholic wife, a part played on Broadway by Edie Falco. The success of "Side Man," which won the 1999 new play Tony, helped launch the career of playwright Leight, who went on to become a busy TV scribe on skeins including "In Treatment," "Lights Out" and two editions of "Law and Order." Reading, set for Aug. 28 at East Hampton's Guild Hall, is helmed by former Naked Angels a.d. and playwright Geoffrey Nauffts ("Next Fall"). Next up for Naked Angels is a fall staging of Zayd Dohrn play "Outside People," co-produced with the Vineyard Theater. Contact Gordon Cox at gordon.cox@variety.com