Arthur Kopit's Y2K didn't get a terribly warm reception when it opened as a Manhattan Theatre Club production at Manhattan's Lucille Lortel Theatre in fall 1999. Now, another theatre and a fresh title may give the drama a new lease on life. The McCarter Theatre of Princeton, NJ, will stage the work beginning March 27, under the revamped moniker of BecauseHeCan. Emily Mann will direct. Official opening is March 30.
The "He" of BecauseHeCan is an evil young, computer hacker with nothing better to do than infiltrate the lives of an affluent, confident Yuppie couple and, through a click here and a click there, turn them upsidedown.
Y2K initially debuted in the months before Jan. 1, 2000, just as the nation was bracing itself for what some predicted would be a world-wide computer meltdown. The world survived with little damage, though internet culture and stocks have taken a beating in the past year.
The five person cast of BecauseHeCan features David Birney, Gene Farber, Jordan Lage, Lionel Mark Smith and Barbara Sukowa.
The remaining 2001-02 McCarter season runs as follows: • Arthur Kopit's BecauseHeCan, directed by Emily Mann, March 27-April 15.
• Sorrow and Rejoicings, a world premiere by Athol Fugard, directed by Fugard, beginning May 1-20.
Tickets are $22-$40. McCarter Theatre is located at 91 University Place in Princeton, New Jersey. For tickets or information, call (609) 258-2787 or visit http://www.mccarter.org www.mccarter.org.
—By Robert Simonson
