Caldwell, Emond, O'Hare Star in U.S. Premiere of Reza's A Spanish Play

By Kenneth Jones
January 10, 2007

Tony Award-winning playwright Yasmina Reza takes a page out of Luigi Pirandello's style with the U.S. premiere of A Spanish Play, starting Jan. 10 in Manhattan.

Before previews began, Classic Stage Company announced that two weeks would be added to the run. The production starring Zoe Caldwell will now play to March 4. Opening is Feb. 1 at CSC's home on East 13th Street.

One reason for the new work's popularity is the return of legendary actress Caldwell (Medea, Master Class, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Slapstick, Lillian), the winner of four Tony Awards. The ensemble play also features Katherine Borowitz, Linda Emond, Denis O'Hare and Larry Pine.

Translated by playwright David Ives, A Spanish Play is directed by John Turturro.

According to CSC, "Following in the venerable footsteps of Pirandello, Reza's A Spanish Play goes behind the scenes at the rehearsal of a play, where the line between reality and the theatre begin to blur."

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A Spanish Play premiered in Paris at the Theatre de la Madeleine in January 2004. It has also been performed in several other European countries and in Canada.

A Spanish Play features scenic design by Riccardo Hernandez, costumes by Donna Zakowska and lighting by Christopher Akerlind.

Reza is the French playwright and novelist, based in Paris, whose works have all been multi-award-winning, critical and popular international successes. Her plays Conversations After a Burial, The Passage of Winter, Art, The Unexpected Man, Life x 3 and A Spanish Play have been produced worldwide and translated into 35 languages. Her new play Le Dieu Du Carnage, directed by Jürgen Gosch, opened recently in Zurich.

Reza's Art won the 1998 Tony Award for Best Play.

A Spanish Play will perform Tuesday through Fridays at 8 PM, Saturdays at 2 PM and 8 PM, and Sundays at 3 PM. For tickets, order online at www.classicstage.org, call (212) 352-3101 or toll free at (866) 811-4111, or visit the theatre in person at 136 East 13th Street.