The Pearl commissioned McNally (Master Class, Ragtime, Kiss of the Spider Woman) to author the historically anchored play And Away We Go, which will run April 19-May 19, 2013.
According to the Pearl, "Times change but life in the theatre remains the same: chaotic, sometimes brutal but often euphoric, too. And Away We Go time travels from backstage in ancient Athens to a rehearsal at London's Globe Theatre, from Versailles’s Royal Theater to the first reading of a new play by Chekhov—with an unlikely stop in Coral Gables and the American premiere of Waiting for Godot along the way."
"The Pearl is dedicated to connecting audiences to classics of the stage, and this quartet offers a season of great variety and compelling ideas. Change, energy and initiative are lines of action in each of these works, marking them as a fine fit to the aspirations of The Pearl in a vibrant new space," artistic director J.R. Sullivan said in a statement. "To conclude our 29th season with a new work by Terrence McNally — a play about theatre companies written especially for The Pearl — is an exceptionally exhilarating prospect for our company and for our audiences."
The inaugural season will also include Figaro, adapted by Charles Morey from Pierre Beaumarchais' The Marriage of Figaro, Oct. 19-Nov. 18. "He's getting married in the morning, and the enterprising Figaro (servant, barber, professional troublemaker) couldn’t be happier. But with everybody scheming to come between him and his bride, Figaro will need all his cunning to make it down the aisle. Flitting between naughty nobles and wily nobodies, this new adaptation of Beaumarchais’s comic masterpiece offers clever schemes, crafty disguises, and just a soupcon of True Love Conquers All," according to press notes.
James DeVita's solo work In Acting Shakespeare will follow (Jan. 10-Feb. 3, 2013) and is described as such: "24 year-old Jimmy felt a little at sea: literally and figuratively. The worn-out fisherman was searching for a new career—he found Shakespeare. In Acting Shakespeare, written and performed by actor and playwright James DeVita, delivers a fun and fervent tribute to one man's journeys with history’s greatest poet. Deftly weaving Shakespeare’s life with reminiscences of DeVita's days on a Long Island fishing boat (and nights as a classical actor), this rich one-man show explores the beauty of words, the power of memory, and the profound impact art can have on the course of a single life." Also on the bill is Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 1 (Feb. 15-March 17, 2013). "Henry Bolingbroke won the crown, but the fight to keep it has barely begun. But while the king prepares for war, brash Prince Hal and a boisterous crew of robbers, ruffians, and rascals, laugh at the gathering storm," according to the Pearl. "Whirling us into a world where the rule of Henry and the magnificent misrule of Jack Falstaff are about to collide, Shakespeare tells a rousing tale of comic conspiracies, heroic deeds, and of how a prince's coming of age will shape the fate of a nation—one way or another."
The Pearl's production of A Moon for the Misbegotten plays its current home, City Center Stage II, through April 15.
Subscriptions are now available by phoning (212) 598-9802. Visit PearlTheatre.
