David Garrison Joins World Premiere of By the Way, Meet Vera Stark

By Kenneth Jones
28 Feb 2011

David Garrison
David Garrison
Photo by Joseph Marzullo/WENN

David Garrison, a Tony Award nominee for A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine, completes the cast of Lynn Nottage's new play, By the Way, Meet Vera Stark, which gets its world premiere by Second Stage Theatre this spring.

The comedy by Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage also features the previously announced Stephanie J. Block, Daniel Breaker, Kimberly Hebert Gregory, Kevin Isola, Sanaa Lathan and Karen Olivo.

Directed by Jo Bonney, By the Way, Meet Vera Stark is Nottage's first play to be produced in New York since she won the Pulitzer Prize for Ruined in 2009.

The production will begin preview performances on April 6 and officially open on May 9 at Second Stage's Tony Kiser Theater (305 West 43rd Street).

According to Second Stage, "In a new comedy from the Pulitzer-Prize winning playwright of Ruined, Lynn Nottage draws upon the screwball films of the 1930s to take a funny and irreverent look at racial stereotypes in Hollywood. By the Way, Meet Vera Stark is a 70-year journey through the life of Vera Stark (Lathan), a headstrong African-American maid and budding actress, and her tangled relationship with her boss, a white Hollywood star (Stephanie J. Block) desperately grasping to hold on to her career. When circumstances collide and both women land roles in the same Southern epic, the story behind the cameras leaves Vera with a surprising and controversial legacy scholars will debate for years to come."

The creative team includes scenic designer Neil Patel, lighting designer Jeff Croiter, costume designer ESosa and original music & sound design by John Gromada.

Performance play to May 22 on the following schedule: Tuesday at 7 PM, Wednesday–Saturday at 8 PM, Wednesday and Saturday at 2 PM and Sunday at 3 PM. (See the website for some changes to that schedule on specific dates.)

All evening performances Tuesday-Friday the week of May 2 will begin at 7 PM.

For subscription or ticket information, call the Second Stage Box Office at (212) 246-4422 or visit www.2ST.com.