Two-time Tony-winner Gerald Gutierrez will direct audiences in The Primary English Class this fall.
The 1976 Israel Horovitz play will begin performances Oct. 27 at the Minetta Lane Theatre in Greenwich Village. The comedy, which stars Didi Conn, officially opens Nov. 12, according to the Philip Rinaldi Publicity office.
English Class is about a group of students, none of whom share a common language, who gather for a crash course in English. Didi Conn will play the teacher, Debbi Wastba -- a role created by Diane Keaton.
Conn last appeared in New York in Neil Simon's Lost in Yonkers. She also acted in a 1978 mounting of Ionesco's The Lesson at the Harold Clurman Theatre and in 1980's Division Street at CA's Mark Taper Forum. Her television and film credits include Grease, Another You, "Benson," and "Shining Time Station," where she is a regular player. Designing Class are Derek McLane (set), Catherine Zuber (costumes), Peter Kaczorowski (lighting) and Guy Sherman (costumes).
Gutierrez last directed Honour on Broadway. His other credits include Ivanov, The Heiress, Northeast Local and The Most Happy Fella, all for Lincoln Center. Other Horovitz plays include Line, The Indian Wants The Bronx, Rats and the Broadway Jason Robards & Judith Ivey starrer, Park Your Car in Harvard Yard.
Tickets for Primary English Class are not yet onsale but will be available soon via Ticketmaster.
-- By David Lefkowitz and Robert Simonson