Directed by Barry Edelstein, performances will continue through Dec. 9.

The cast comprises Happy Anderson (Guard), Byron Jennings (The Agent in Charge), Daniel Oreskes (Moishe Bretzky), Ron Rifkin (Yevgeny Zunser), Noah Robbins (Pinchas Pelovits) and Chip Zien (Vasily Korinsky).

Best-selling author Englander adapted the new play from his acclaimed short story of the same name.

"In a Soviet prison in 1952, Stalin's secret police have rounded up twenty-six writers, the giants of Yiddish literature in Russia," according to press notes. "As judgment looms, a twenty-seventh suddenly appears: Pinchas Pelovits, unpublished and unknown. Baffled by his arrest, he and his cellmates wrestle with the mysteries of party loyalty and politics, culture and identity, and what it means to write in troubled times. When they discover why the twenty-seventh man is among them, the writers come to realize that even in the face of tyranny, stories still have the power to transcend."

The production will feature scenic design by Michael McGarty, costume design by Katherine Roth, lighting design by Russell H. Champa and sound design by Darron L West.

For tickets call (212) 967-7555 or visit www.publictheater.org. The Public Theater is located at 425 Lafayette Street.