After two successful, critically acclaimed engagements Off-Broadway in 2009, The Temperamentals will begin performances of its commercial Off-Broadway run on Feb. 18. The Temperamentals tells the story of the communist Harry Hay and the Viennese refugee and designer Rudi Gernreich as they fall in love while building the first gay rights organization in the United States, pre-Stonewall. According to production notes, "The play weaves together the personal and political to tell a relatively unknown chapter in gay history. It explores the love between two complex men, as their impossible dream of forming such an unheard of organization becomes a reality in this perilous, unpredictable world. It is an intimate portrayal of the men who created history and the epic struggles they overcame. The characters consist of the actual men who founded the Mattachine Society (Harry Hay, Rudi Gernreich, Chuck Rowland, Bob Hull and Dale Jennings), as well as other prominent figures of the time in Hollywood and the film industry as well as the world of fashion."
Jonathan Silverstein returns as director for the new engagement. His cast includes Michael Urie, Thomas Jay Ryan, Arnie Burton, Matthew Schneck and Sam Breslin. Jonathan Silverstein directs.
Here is a look at the press event:
The Temperamentals will play New World Stages at 340 West 50th Street. For more information, visit www.thetemperamentals.com.
