Paris Commune, with Buddeke, Celik, Lipton, Shamos and Wright, Begins April 4

By Andrew Gans
April 4, 2008

The third Public Lab production, The Civilians' Paris Commune, begins performances April 4 at Off-Broadway's Public Theater.

Directed by Steven Cosson, the production will play a limited engagement through April 20. The cast features Kate Buddeke (the 2003 revival of Gypsy), Aysan Celik (Antigone at A.R.T.), Nina Hellman (The Internationalist at Vineyard), Dan Lipton (Don't Quit Your Night Job), Jeanine Serralles (NYTW's The Misanthrope), Brian Sgambati (Landscape of the Body at Signature Theatre), Jeremy Shamos (Hunting and Gathering at Primary Stages), IVA (the operatic pop album "IVA") and Sam Breslin Wright (Broadway's Macbeth with Kelsey Grammer).

Paris Commune, a musical play, was penned by Steven Cosson and Michael Friedman. The production, according to press notes, is described as such: "In 1871, working class Parisians overthrew the French government, declared Paris autonomous and launched an attempt to radically reinvent society. This revolution is the basis of The Civilians' Paris Commune."

In a recent statement Public Theater artistic director Oskar Eustis said, "The Civilians take their patented, irreverent but rigorous documentary musical approach and apply it to one of the great revolutionary movements of the modern age. Paris Commune is a fantastic riff on art and politics, and we are delighted to offer it up to the world."

Paris Commune features scenic design by Alexander Dodge, costume design by Sarah Beers, lighting design by Thomas Dunn and sound design by Ken Travis.

Show times are Tuesday-Friday at 8 PM, Saturday at 2 and 8 PM and Sunday at 3 and 7 PM.

The Public Theater is located in Manhattan at 425 Lafayette Street. All tickets are $10 and can be purchased by calling (212) 967-7555 or by visiting www.publictheater.org.

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Conceived and presented in association with LAByrinth Theater Company, Public Lab is designed to "respond to new work immediately, and present fresh, raw and relevant plays that embrace the Public's history as a theater receptive to the big issues, the public issues of our time."