Cuban youth, locked away, dead parent, political conflict involving Castro -- sound familiar? If you're thinking about Cuban playwright Jose Triana’s Night of the Assassins that officially opens June 7 at the new INTAR 53 Theatre in New York City, then you are correct. Assassins, by Cuban emigrant Triana, presents the story of three siblings. While locked away in a basement, the children reenact the brutal murder of their parents. The play, originally produced in 1965 in Cuba, was invited to an international theatre festival in France, then gained world-wide critical acclaim. However in Cuba, at a time of radical political change, it was banned for 30 years due to its insurgent undertones. The play endured politics and has since become the most often performed Latin American play in the Spanish-speaking world.

INTAR artistic director Max Ferrá directs his translation for this Off Broadway production that closes the theatre’s 35th season -- the longest lived Hispanic theatre in New York. The cast of Assassins are Vanessa Aspillaga, Michael John Garcés, and Sol Miranda. The production includes set by Van Santvoord, costumes by Mimi O’Donnell, lights by Chris Dallos, and sound by Johnna Doty.

Tickets for Night of the Assassins, playing at INTAR’s 53 Theatre, 508 West 53 (between 10 & 11 Ave), can be purchased for $20 by calling (212) 279-4200. The production, performed in English, will run through June 25.

--by Ernio Hernandez