Aquila artistic director Peter Meineck directed and designed the production, which began performances Nov. 14 and opened Nov. 23. Meineck also penned the adaptation of the Heller novel. John Lavelle, who has appeared in The Graduate and Burleigh Grimes, stars as B-25 bombardier Yossarian in a company that also features Mark Alhadeff (Bedroom Farce), Chip Brookes, Christina Pumariega (Hartford Stage's A Midsummer Night's Dream), Craig Wroe (An Oak Tree), and Aquila veteran Richard Sheridan Willis (The Importance of Being Earnest).

In Catch 22, "Yossarian is a bombardier on a B-25, based on a small island off the coast of Italy in 1944," according to press notes. "He starts to question the futile and ridiculous administration of his air base and seeks a way to preserve his life when the whole world around him seems to be going mad. Like a modern-day Achilles, Yossarian protests with powerful and often hilarious results. Catch 22 tackles huge things with rich metaphors, boldly drawn characters and near-impossible situations. It is a work of great theatricality with superb language and a sense of dark surrealism. Heller dares to examine the very philosophy of war and what it does to the humans that fight them."

For tickets and more information visit www.aquilatheatre.com. The Lucille Lortel Theatre is located at 121 Christopher Street in Manhattan.