Off-Broadway's Cocktail Party Will Last a Week Longer, to April 17

By Kenneth Jones
24 Mar 2010

TACT/The Actors Company Theatre's Off-Broadway revival of T.S. Eliot's 1949 play, The Cocktail Party, will get six additional performances, now to April 17.

The critically acclaimed company dedicated to presenting neglected or rarely produced plays of literary merit announced the extension on March 24. Directed by TACT co-artistic director Scott Alan Evans, The Cocktail Party began at Theatre Row's Beckett Theatre (410 W. 42nd Street) on March 7. Opening night was March 17. The original closing date was to be April 10.

The cast of The Cocktail Party includes TACT company members Mark Alhadeff, Cynthia Harris (TACT co-artistic director), Simon Jones (TACT co-artistic director), Jack Koenig and guest artists Jeremy Beck, Ben Beckley, Lauren English, Erika Rolfsrud and Celia Smith.

According to TACT notes, "In the brilliant, witty world of The Cocktail Party, T.S. Eliot's profound exploration of self-deception and redemption, Edward and Lavinia Chamberlayne are throwing a party at their fashionable London flat. The guests arrive only to discover that their hostess is nowhere to be found and a rather strange man, who no one seems to know, acts right at home. Ruthless, compassionate and funny, this 'Cocktail Party' embodies the day-to-day struggles of domestic life while turning the classic 'drawing room comedy' on its head."

The Cocktail Party plays Monday, Wednesday–Friday at 7:30 PM; Saturday at 2 PM & 8 PM; Sunday at 3 PM. The final performance will be at 2 PM April 17.

Tickets are $36.25-$56.25 and are available through Ticket Central www.ticketcentral.com or at (212) 279-4200.

Visit www.tactnyc.org.