Previews of the solo play began April 17 at the Harold Clurman Theatre in Theatre Row on West 42nd Street. Working Theater, the troupe devoted to plays about workers, careers and workplaces, produces.
Colman Domingo, the actor seen in Broadway's Passing Strange, directs. This is Exit Cuckoo's Off-Broadway debut following developmental versions elsewhere.
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According to Working Theater, "At once a comedy and commentary on a particular slice of city life, Exit Cuckoo is based on Ms. Ramirez's own experiences as a nanny, and springs from her observations. [It's] an honest and humorous look at the uncommon lives of a seemingly invisible, voiceless class of workers most often distinguished in New York by the strollers they push. The play paints a portrait of the complex chemistry of nannies and the mothers who hire them — from the hours they work to what they wear, from racism, class-consciousness and feelings of second-class citizenship to, ultimately, how children are raised. Along the way, Exit Cuckoo considers, too, how a nannies' work affects their own families' lives."
Originally from San Francisco, actress and author Ramirez's New York credits include performances at Makor/92nd St. Y, HERE Arts Center, The Ontological-Hysteric Theatre, New York Theatre Workshop and Studio 111. She was a Playwright in Residence with The New York Theatre Workshop at Dartmouth College in August 2006. Ramirez most recently wrote and performed in Company So-No-Go's Art of Memory. Exit Cuckoo has been workshopped regionally and abroad, with the support of playwright and performer Eve Ensler. At the 2008 Midtown International Theatre Festival in New York, Exit Cuckoo was awarded Best Overall Performance of a Solo Show, and Lisa received the award for Outstanding Actor (Female) from The Talkin' Broadway 2008 Summer Theatre Festival Citations.
Director Domingo also directed the Off-Broadway comedy Single Black Female (also on the West Coast) and recently debuted his solo show A Boy and His Soul at Joe's Pub.
The production has set design by Rachel Hauck; lighting design by Russel Phillip Drapkin; sound design by Matt O'Hare; and costume design by Raul Aktanov.
Exit Cuckoo runs to May 17 at Theatre Row's Clurman Theatre (410 West 42nd Street); Tuesdays at 7 PM, Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 PM; Saturdays at 2 PM and Sundays at 3 PM. Tickets are $25. For reservations, contact www.ticketcentral.com or call (212) 279-4200.
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Connie Grappo is Working Theater's artistic director; Mark Plesent is producing director.
For more information about Working Theater visit www.theworkingtheater.org.
