Concluding Nov. 30
Indian Ink (Off-Broadway at the Laura Pels Theatre in the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre). Roundabout Theatre Company's production of Tom Stoppard's Indian Ink is headed by Tony winner Rosemary Harris as Eleanor Swan with Firdous Bamji, Bill Buell, Nick Choksi, Romola Garai, Neal Huff, Caroline Lagerfelt, Omar Maskati, Tim McGeever, Brenda Meaney, Philip Mills, Ajay Naidu, Bhavesh Patel, Lee Aaron Rosen and Rajeev Varma. "Set on two different continents and in two different eras," Indian Ink, press notes state, "follows free-spirited English poet Flora Crewe (Romola Garai) on her travels through India in the 1930s, where her intricate relationship with an Indian artist unfurls against the backdrop of a country seeking its independence. Fifty years later, in 1980s England, her younger sister Eleanor (Rosemary Harris) tries to preserve the legacy of Flora's controversial career. Little by little, Flora's mysterious past is revealed, as is the surprising story of two people whose connection lives on through art. An evocative portrait of love and loss, Indian Ink movingly explores how the creative spirit can bring us together in the most unexpected ways." Visit RoundaboutTheatre.org.
The Underclassmen (Off-Broadway at The Duke on 42nd Street). The Prospect Theater Company production of The Underclassman is an original musical that explores F. Scott Fitzgerald's coming of age as a writer on the eve of World War I — and his first romance with elusive debutante Ginevra King. It stars Matt Dengler as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jessica Grové as Ginevra King, Piper Goodeve as Marie Hersey, Billy Hepfinger as Edmund Wilson and Marrick Smith as John Peale Bishop with Jordan Bondurant, Elizabeth Burton, Jason Edward Cook, Holland Grossman, C.J. Pawlikowski, Davey Rosenberg, Matt Gibson, Christopher Herr, Adam Machart, Liz Shivener, Whitney Winfield, Drama Desk nominee Jeremy Morse, Michael Romeo Ruocco and Ian Fairlee. Visit ProspectTheater.org.
Riding the Midnight Express with Billy Hayes (Off-Broadway at the Barrow Street Theatre). Riding the Midnight Express with Billy Hayes, a one-man show that recounts the true story of Hayes escaping prison, is directed by Jeffrey Altshuler. It tells the story of Hayes' arrest in Istanbul for smuggling hash as well as his escape from prison, during which he rowed 17 miles across the open sea during a nighttime storm. "Hayes has created a one-man show, detailing his time in prison and his daring escape," press notes state. "He reveals aspects of his experiences never before told, elaborates on many instances portrayed in the film version and he corrects some plot-lines and scenes that were fictionalized for the movie – especially the actual circumstances and incredible drama surrounding his white-knuckle escape. This is truly an epic journey of personal fortitude and spiritual discovery." Visit BarrowStreetTheatre.com.
