Geffen Playhouse Adds Plays by Conor McPherson, Stephen Belber and Joanna Murray-Smith to 2014-15 Season | Playbill

Related Articles
News Geffen Playhouse Adds Plays by Conor McPherson, Stephen Belber and Joanna Murray-Smith to 2014-15 Season The Geffen Playhouse has added the world premiere of Joanna Murray-Smith's Switzerland, Conor McPherson's The Night Alive and Stephen Belber's The Power of Duff to its 2014-15 season.

Murray-Smith's Switzerland, which was commissioned by the Geffen, is a co-world premiere with the Sydney Theatre Company, where the production will run this fall prior to a spring debut in Los Angeles.

The Geffen previously announced that it would produce the West Coast premiere of Choir Boy, written by Tarell Alvin McCraney and directed by Trip Cullman, with its Off-Broadway star Jeremy Pope; Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin, directed by Trevor Hay; and the West Coast premiere of Bad Jews, written by Joshua Harmon and directed by Matt Shakman as part of the 2014-15 season.

An additional production will be announced.

The Geffen's 2014-15 season follows:

Choir Boy
Sept. 16-Oct. 26
Written by Tarell Alvin McCraney
Directed by Trip Cullman
Featuring Jeremy Pope
"At the Charles R. Drew Prep School for Boys, a young black man knows what is expected of him. Work hard, fall in line and if you’ve got the voice for it, use it to praise God in the school choir. Within these walls, Pharus Young, with the voice of an angel and a keen mind, should be a star. But in the face of Drew’s time-honored traditions, can music overcome silence? Playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney navigates expectation, alienation and the overwhelming desire to be heard." The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens and Count Leo Tolstoy: Discord
Oct. 7-Nov. 16
Written by Scott Carter
"A founding father, a Victorian novelist and a Russian revolutionary walk into a ... stop me if you've heard this one. Thomas Jefferson (yes that one), Charles Dickens (the very same) and Count Leo Tolstoy (who else?) are brought together in a blistering battle of wits for the ages. Scott Carter's whip-smart comedy examines what happens when great men of history are forced to repeat it."

Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin
Written by Hershey Felder
Directed by Trevor Hay
Featuring Hershey Felder
Nov. 11-Dec. 21
"Hershey Felder brings to life the remarkable story of Irving Berlin, 'America’s Composer.' From the depths of anti-Semitism in Czarist Russia, to New York’s Lower East Side, and ultimately all of America and the world, Berlin’s story epitomizes capturing the American dream. Featuring the composer’s most popular and enduring songs from 'God Bless America' to 'White Christmas' and beyond, Hershey Felder’s masterful creation of character and musical performance makes this evening with Irving Berlin an unforgettable journey."

The Night Alive
Feb. 3-April 15, 2015
Written by Conor McPherson
Directed by Randall Arney
"Tommy owes more than he earns. When he is unexpectedly compelled to help Aimee, a young woman with much harder luck than his own, the taste of turmoil he suffers becomes a full-blown meal. With his trademark humor and humanity, Conor McPherson (The Seafarer, The Weir) makes Phoenix Park, Dublin a place where anyone can rise from the ashes."

Switzerland
March 3-April 12
Written by Joanna Murray-Smith
"Patricia Highsmith, master of the macabre, is racing to finish her novel when an attractive young man arrives representing her impatient publisher. Anxious to be rid of him and return to self-imposed exile, she attempts to terrorize him into fleeing. But he has a dark agenda of his own and will not leave until the final chapter is written."

The Power of Duff
April 7-May 17
Written by Stephen Belber
Directed by Peter DuBois
"Charlie Duff's nightly newscast makes him a voice to be heard, so why isn't his teen-age son listening? When an on-air prayer for his father goes viral, Duff finds himself at the center of a firestorm over God's place in the newsroom. When his prayers turn prophetic, Duff suddenly has the power to reach everyone - except his own son. Stephen Belber's sharp new play asks is there anything more vital than the faith we have in one another?"

Bad Jews
June 9-July 19
Written by Joshua Harmon
Directed by Matt Shakman
"In the Feygenbaum family, Daphna is the most devout. Just ask her. But her cousin Liam has the rights of the first-born grandchild. Just ask him. When their grandfather dies leaving a treasured family heirloom, a battle ignites escalating to Old Testament proportions. Hailed as one of the funniest plays of the year, Bad Jews can’t resist pointing out the worst in all of us."

The Geffen Playhouse is located at 10886 Le Conte Avenue, Los Angeles. For more information visit geffenplayhouse.com.

 
RELATED:
Today’s Most Popular News:
 X

Blocking belongs
on the stage,
not on websites.

Our website is made possible by
displaying online advertisements to our visitors.

Please consider supporting us by
whitelisting playbill.com with your ad blocker.
Thank you!