The two works — starring the Academy Award winner — run in repertory at The Duke on 42nd Street. Darko Tresnjak directs Abraham as Shylock in The Merchant of Venice, which began previews Jan. 6 for a run through March 11, and David Herskovits staged The Jew of Malta with the actor as Barabas from Jan. 17-March 10. The Jew of Malta performs at 2 PM and The Merchant of Venice at 7:30 PM.
Kate Forbes (All's Well That Ends Well, Sight Unseen) also stars as Portia in the Shakespeare and Bellamira in the Marlowe. The 14-member company also includes Kenajuan Bentley, Arnie Burton, Cameron Folmar, Ezra Knight, John Lavelle, Nicole Lowrance, Vince Nappo, Tom Nelis, Saxon Palmer, Matthew Schneck, Christen Simon and Marc Vietor.
Abraham earned an Academy Award for his turn in the movie version of Peter Shaffer's "Amadeus" as composer Antonio Salieri. He most recently appeared in the Off-Broadway run of Trumbo, the Madison Square Garden A Christmas Carol and the City Center Encores! presentation of New Moon. His other stage credits include Triumph of Love, A Month in the Country, Angels in America, King Lear and The Fantasticks.
The creative team for both productions includes John Lee Beatty (sets), David Weiner (lighting) and Jane Shaw (sound). Linda Cho designs costumes for The Merchant of Venice, and David Zinn handles those duties for The Jew of Malta. The fight choreographer is J. Steven White.
Next for TFANA, Neil Bartlett directs his adaptation of Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist (March 29-April 15) at John Jay College's Gerald W. Lynch Theater. Opening night is slated for April 1. The Dickens work is a co-production with Cambridge, Massachusetts' American Repertory Theatre. Tickets to the TFANA shows at The Duke, 228 West 42 Street, are available by calling (212) 239-6200. For more information visit www.tfana.org.