Directed by Derrick Sanders, the cast will feature Cherise Boothe, Lynda Gravatt, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Russell Hornsby, Curtis McClarin and Lou Myers.
The creative team comprises David Gallo (scenic design), Reggie Ray (costume design), Thom Weaver (lighting design) and Jill BC Duboff (sound design). Todd Kreidler and Constanza Romero are associate artists for this production.
King Hedley II, according to production notes, is "set in a backyard in the decaying Hill District of Pittsburgh, [and] follows the characters created by August Wilson in Seven Guitars. A woman is tormented by a secret she has kept for 36 years, while her only son returns home after serving time for murder to find a neighborhood riddled with crime, poverty and broken families. King’s epic struggle to survive is at the center of this poetic portrayal of life in the inner city during the 1980’s."
August Wilson (April 27, 1945-Oct. 2, 2005) authored Gem of the Ocean, Joe Turner's Come and Gone, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, The Piano Lesson, Seven Guitars, Fences, Two Trains Running, Jitney, King Hedley II and Radio Golf. These works explore the heritage and experience of African Americans, decade-by-decade, over the course of the 20th century. Wilson's plays have been produced at regional theatres across the country and all over the world, as well as on Broadway. In 2003, Wilson made his professional stage debut in his one-man show, How I Learned What I Learned. Wilson's works garnered many awards, including Pulitzer Prizes for Fences (1987); and for The Piano Lesson (1990); a Tony Award for Fences; Great Britain's Olivier Award for Jitney; as well as seven New York Drama Critics Circle Awards for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Fences, Joe Turner's Come and Gone, The Piano Lesson, Two Trains Running, Seven Guitars and Jitney.
King Hedley II will play Tuesdays at 7 PM, Wednesdays-Fridays at 8 PM, Saturdays at 2 and 8 PM and Sundays at 2 and 7 PM. There will be post-performance talkbacks Feb. 27, March 13, 20 and 27 and April 10. Single tickets, priced $15 (thanks to sponsorship by Time Warner Inc.), will go on sale Jan. 22 and will be available by calling (212) 244-PLAY. For more information visit www.signaturetheatre.org.
Signature Theatre Company’s Peter Norton Space is located in Manhattan at 555 W. 42nd Street.
