World Premiere of Durang's Why Torture Is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them Opens at the Public

By Adam Hetrick
April 6, 2009

Christopher Durang's absurdist political comedy, Why Torture Is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them, starring Tony winner Laura Benanti and Amir Arison, opens at the Public Theater April 6.

Williamstown Theatre Festival artistic director and longtime Durang collaborator Nicholas Martin directs the production that began performances March 24 and runs through April 26 in the Public's Newman Theater.

Benanti (Gypsy, Into the Woods) and Arison (Queens Boulevard) star as unlikely newlyweds at the center of the play. The cast that also features Kristine Nielsen (Crazy Mary), John Pankow (The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie), Audrie Neenan (Oklahoma!, "Doubt"), David Aaron Baker (Dead Man's Cell Phone) and Richard Poe (Cry-Baby, Journey's End).

According to the Public, "Why Torture Is Wrong tells the story of a young woman suddenly in crisis: is her new husband, whom she married when drunk, a terrorist? Or just crazy? Or both? Is her father's hobby of butterfly collecting really a cover for his involvement in a shadow government? Why does her mother enjoy going to the theatre so much? Does she seek mental escape, or is she insane? Honing in on our private terrors both at home and abroad, Durang oddly relieves our fears in this black comedy for an era of yellow, orange, and red alerts."

The staging has scenic design by David Korins, costume design by Gabriel Berry, lighting design by Ben Stanton, original music by Mark Bennett and sound design by Drew Levy.

Tickets are available by phoning (212) 967-7555 or by visiting PublicTheater.

The Public Theater is located at 425 Lafayette Street in Manhattan.