PHOTO CALL: Tony Kushner's Intelligent Homosexual's Guide...

By Matthew Blank
25 Mar 2010

Tony Kushner's The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures, which debuted at The Guthrie Theater in Minnesota, was announced for a New York bow in The Public Theater's 2010-11 season.

The title of Kushner's new play, according to the Guthrie, is inspired by two 19th-century thinkers and their works — George Bernard Shaw's The Intelligent Woman's Guide to Socialism and Capitalism and Mary Baker Eddie's Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.

The piece, according to press notes, "looks at the life of a 20th-century thinker, retired longshoreman Gus Marcantonio (filmmaker, actor and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Michael Cristofer), who's feeling confused and defeated by the 21st century. In summer 2007, he invites his sister and his three children (who in turn bring along spouses, ex-spouses, lovers and more) to a most unusual family reunion in their Brooklyn brownstone."

The production featured Michael Cristofer as Gus, Kathleen Chalfant as Gus' sister Bennie, Stephen Spinella as his son Pill, Linda Emond as his daughter Empty and Guthrie regular Ron Menzel as his son Vito. Broadway veteran Michael Potts portrays Pill's husband Paul Pierce, with Michael Esper playing Pill's paid lover Eli Wolcott. Guthrie regulars Mark Benninghofen, Charity Jones, Sun Mee Chomet and Michelle O'Neill are also be part of the cast.

Here's a look at the original production:

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Michael Cristofer and Ron Menzel
Photo by Michal Daniel



For more information, visit publictheater.org .