Ron Russell will direct the world premiere of a new adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's Widowers' Houses, which kicks off the season March 5. Adapted by Ron Russell and Godfrey L. Simmons, Jr., the production will officially open at the Kirk Theatre March 14 and play through April 8.
The cast for Widower's Houses will include Peter Jay Fernandez, James Wallert, Rachael Holmes, Jessica Richardson, Godfrey L. Simmons, Jr. and Jacob Ming-Trent. The design team comprises Cameron Anderson (scenic design), Tyler Micoleau (lighting design), Ron Russell (sound design) and Meg Weedon (costume design).
The new adaptation of Shaw's work is reset in 1992 Harlem.
The world premiere of Zak Berkman's Beauty on the Vine will play the Clurman Theatre beginning April 23. Directed by David Schweizer, the play inspired by a chance encounter with Courtney Love, will officially open May 2 and run through May 27.
The cast will include Helen Piper Coxe, Barbara Garrick, Howard Overshown and Jessica Richardson with designs by Narelle Sissons (scenic), Justin Townsend (lighting), Ryan Rumery (sound) and Gabrielle Berry (costume). Beauty on the Vine, according to press notes, "is a romantic fable about the power of the human face in an age of extreme plastic surgery. Sweet calls himself a 'mutt.' Is he Black? Native? Croate? He doesn't know his parents, where he's from or if he ever had a name. But he finds his home when he falls in love with Lauren Chickering, a fast-rising star of right-wing radio who knows exactly who she is and how she wants to change America. Lauren wants to inspire girls of the Lindsay Lohan generation to become involved in the Republican Party, but her success has also inspired a series of events that leads to a brutal murder. Trying to understand the motive and meaning of Lauren’s death, Sweet joins Lauren’s father, Daniel, on a journey through the looking glass into a highly disturbing Wonderland where appearances are always deceiving."
The season will also include four presentations of Suzan-Lori Park's 365 Plays/365 Days March 28, 29 and 21 at the Kirk Theatre as well as one performance on April 1 at the Public Theater. Beginning in November 2002, Pulitzer Prize winner Parks began writing one play a day for 365 days. The cycle is being presented at numerous theatres, and "Week 20" will be offered by Epic Theatre Center. A group of professional actors and students will perform "Week 20," and participating students will also write and perform their own plays in response to Parks' work. All performances of "Week 20" are free.
For more information on Epic Theatre Center, visit www.epictheatrectr.org.
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Epic's Nilaja Sun's No Child… continues to play Off-Broadway's Barrow Street Theatre, following its sold-out run last year at Theatre Row.
