The new season will kick off Sept. 16 with the world premiere of Still Life directed by Will Frears (Omnium Gatherum). The production, which runs through Nov. 1, is described as such: "With her star on the rise, photographer, Carrie Ann inexplicably shuts down at the pinnacle of her career. Lost, and afraid to even pick up a camera, her sudden descent is interrupted by a whirlwind romance with Jeff, a trend analyst who becomes determined to help her move on, even while facing his own dark future."
Tony Award winner Joe Mantello (Take Me Out, Blackbird, Wicked) will direct the American premiere of Campbell's The Pride, which runs Jan. 27, 2010-March 14, 2010. The work, according to MCC, concerns "Oliver, Philip, and Sylvia [who] are caught in a kind of erotic time warp. Their complex love triangle, replete with conflicting loyalties and passions, jumps from 1958 to the present and back in a maelstrom of fantasy, repression and rebellion in this innovative new drama."
The season will conclude with Henley's Family Week helmed by Academy Award-winning director Jonathan Demme ("Silence of the Lambs," "Rachel Getting Married"); performance dates are April 7-May 23, 2010. "A year after the death of her son," press notes read, "Claire checks into a recovery center in the desert, searching for a way to cope. When her mother, daughter and sister arrive to participate in 'family week,' long-dormant traumas collide with recent tragedies in surprisingly comical, shocking and deeply moving ways. United in this family struggle, the women rage and reach out in an effort to reconcile their love with the way things are."
Casting will be announced at a later date.
In a statement artistic director Bernard Telsey said, "MCC is truly on a roll. This season alone, we returned to Broadway and were so fortunate to have worked with such luminaries as Elizabeth Marvel, Norbert Leo Butz, Kathleen Turner and Charles Busch. To say nothing of the triumvirate of Leigh Silverman, Stephin Merritt and David Greenspan who brought us our wonderful production of Coraline that just extended its run down at the Lortel. I trust that next year will be a continuation of our winning streak with these great new plays and I'm delighted to welcome Jonathan Demme, Will Frears and Joe Mantello into the MCC family." MCC Theater's production of Stephin Merritt and David Greenspan's new musical Coraline, starring Jayne Houdyshell in the title role, is currently playing the Lortel through July 7.
For more information visit mcctheater.org.
