Christopher Durang

News

New Durang Play at the Public Theatre

Now Extended Thru May 10

   

Why Torture Is Wrong, and The People Who Love Them by Christopher Durang. ( Left to right) Kristine Nielsen, Laura Benanti.  Photo by Joan MarcusChristopher Durang has a new comic play entitled Why Torture is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them.   The play was written on commission from the Public Theatre and premiered in March at the Newman Theatre at the Public.  It has just been extended for a second time until May 10, and here is the press release from the Public Theater:

April 16, 2009 – The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Andrew D. Hamingson) will extend Christopher Durang’s WHY TORTURE IS WRONG, AND THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE THEM one final week through Sunday, May 10. Directed by Nicholas Martin, this world premiere comedy opened to rave reviews and has been extended twice. Extension tickets are on-sale now at (212) 967-7555 or www.publictheater.org.

Durang’s funniest play! Don’t feel guilty about laughing so hard at this hilarious new comedy.”  – Ben Brantley, The New York Times

You may laugh yourself silly! This carnival of lunacy swept me into its joyous whirligig. it establishes Laura Benanti, already known in musicals (“Gypsy”), as an absolute star with this nonsinging role.”   – John Simon, Bloomberg News

A hilarious, topsy-turvy look at a world that is definitely off-kilter.” – Mike Kuchwara, Associated Press

“It's very good news that Christopher Durang, our Poet Laureate of the Absurd, has written a smashing new play.  … The treasured playwright (of Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You, Beyond Therapy and Betty’s Summer Vacation) possesses a serious philosophy of life combined with a serious taste for the blissfully, unapologetically silly. (But then, the more dangerous his characters, the sillier they are.)...

Christopher Durang is Jonathan Swift’s nicer, younger brother. Only he would end Why Torture Is Wrong in a heavenly version of Hooters. Meanwhile, it’s more than enough for us that this freewheeling satire of the cult of violence in a mad, mad world is a cathartic riot. Nicholas Martin has directed at exactly the right heady pace. His entire ensemble, with the hilarious Kristine Nielson, never misses a beat.”
- John Heilpern, The New York Observer

“The enormous response to WHY TORTURE IS WRONG… shows that Chris Durang has captured our moment perfectly,” said Artistic Director Oskar Eustis. “We’re delighted there’s such an appetite for this wonderful production.”

WHY TORTURE IS WRONG, AND THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE THEM tells the story of a young woman suddenly in crisis: Is her new husband, whom she married when drunk, a terrorist? Or just crazy? Or both? Is her father’s hobby of butterfly collecting really a cover for his involvement in a shadow government? Why does her mother enjoy going to the theater so much? Does she seek mental escape, or is she insane? Honing in on our private terrors both at home and abroad, Durang oddly relieves our fears in this black comedy for an era of yellow, orange, and red alerts.

The cast of WHY TORTURE IS WRONG, AND THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE THEM  features Amir Arison (Queens Boulevard at Signature), David Aaron Baker (A Raisin in the Sun on Broadway), Laura Benanti (2008 Tony winner for Gypsy on Broadway), Audrie Neenan (Oklahoma! on Broadway), Kristine Nielsen (Obie winner for Durang’s Betty’s Summer Vacation at Playwrights Horizons), John Pankow (“Mad About You”), and Richard Poe (Cry-Baby on Broadway).

WHY TORTURE IS WRONG, AND THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE THEM features scenic design by David Korins, costume design by Gabriel Berry, lighting design by Ben Stanton, original music by Mark Bennett, and sound design by Drew Levy.

In the cast Laura Benanti and Amir Arison play Felicity and Zamir, the suddenly married couple; Richard Poe and Kristine Nielsen play Felicity's parents; John Pankow is Reverend Mike; Audrie Neenan is Hildegarde; and David Aaron Baker plays the Voice, the Waiter and Loony Tunes.

And here is the link to the Public Theater website.  Click here: Public Theater

Why Torture Is Wrong, and The People Who Love Them by Christopher Durang. ( Left to right) Kristine Nielsen, Laura Benanti, Amir Arison, Richard Poe.  Photo by Joan MarcusPhoto above left: (at left)  Laura Benanti comforts her mother, played by Kristine Nielsen. 

Photo at right: (from left to right)  Kristine Nielsen and Laura Benanti watch as Amir Arison is confronted by Richard Poe.  Photos by Joan Marcus
 


TICKET INFORMATION 

WHY TORTURE IS WRONG, AND THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE THEM will run through Sunday, May 10. The performance schedule is Tuesdays at 7 PM; Wednesdays thru Fridays at 8 PM; Saturdays at 2 PM and 8 PM; and Sundays at 2 PM and 7 PM. (No performance on April 28; added performance on Monday, April 27 at 8 p.m.)

Single tickets are on-sale now.  The Public Theater is located at 425 Lafayette Street. Tickets are $60 for all performances with the exception of Saturday evening tickets, which are $70. Student tickets are available in advance, at the box office only, for $25 (1 per ID).  There are a limited number of Rush Tickets sold an hour before curtain at every performance available to the general public (Two per person, $20 each, cash only). 

To purchase tickets, please call (212) 967-7555 or visit www.publictheater.org.

 

Post-show Discussions: Tues 4/14 & Tues 4/21

 

Rush Tix:
There will be a limited number of $20 Rush Tix available at the box office for every downtown theater performance on sale to the general public one hour prior to curtain. There is a 2 ticket limit per person. Cash only.  

 

Full Price Waiting List Tickets:
On the day of a sold out performance, we will take a waiting list for full price tickets in person at the box office. The waiting list will be called no earlier than 1/2 hour before curtain. If you are called and not in the lobby, your name will be removed from the list. While tickets occasionally become available in this manner, we are unable to make predictions or guarantees.

 

Student Tickets:
$25 tickets are available for advance purchase at the box office for every downtown theater performance on sale to the general public. Must have a valid student ID at the time of purchase. Limit 1 ticket per person. 

 


Rachel DeBenedet in "Adrift in Macao" by Christopher DurangCD of Durang-Melnick Musical Adrift in Macao
Now Available

 

Performance Rights Available Through Samuel French

 

The musical Adrift in Macao, with book and lyrics by Christopher Durang and music by Peter Melnick, premiered in New York City in 2007 at Primary Stages.

 

And before that, this light-hearted film noir parody musical had a successful run at Philadelphia Theatre Company in the fall of 2005, winning three of the show’s performers Philadelphia’s Barrymore Awards: Rachel deBenedet for Best Actress in a Musical, and Orville Mendoza and Michele Ragusa for Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress in a Musical. The three performers recreated their roles in the Primary Stages production and are on the CD.

Filling out the rest of the talented cast are Alan Campbell as the mysterious ex-patriate Mitch, Will Swenson as the shady and womanizing nightclub owner Rick, and Jonathan Rayson and Elisa Van Duyne as the Trenchcoat Chorus.

Orville Mendoza and Michele Ragusa in "Adrift in Macao" by Christopher DurangThe productions were directed by Sheryl Kaller, musical direction was by Fred Lassen, choreography by Christopher Gattelli, set by Thomas Lynch, costumes by Willa Kim, lighting by Jeff Croiter, orchestrations by Michael Starobin, casting by Mark Simon.

The show is a light-hearted, playful parody of two Hollywood genres: the film noir movies, in which the leading man is always mysterious and can't go home for murky reasons he won't say; and the less known “exotic adventure” movie set in Hollywood versions of China or Morocco or Trinidad,  And in these foreign places, the leading lady can seemingly get a job singing in a nightclub no matter how well she does or doesn’t sing.

In Durang and Melnick’s romp, the mysterious man is Mitch named for Robert Mitchum.  And the nightclub singer who falls in love with him is named Lureena, and is a mixture of Jane Russell, Rita Hayworth and Ava Gardner, a wised-up broad who’s still underneath a hopeless romantic.  Plus there's also the mysterious Mr. McGuffin who everyone is searching for. Songs include In a Foreign City in a Slinky Dress, Pretty Moon Over Macao, The Chase, and Ticky, Ticky, Tocky Bangkok.

(Photo above right: Rachel deBenedet.  Photo above left: Orville Mendoza, Michele Ragu.  Photos by Mark Garvin)

Performance rights are through Samuel French.
To buy the CD on amazon.com, here is the link. Amazon.com


Miss Witherspoon & Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge by Christopher Durang - Book CoverMiss Witherspoon and
Mrs. Bob Cratchit’s Wild Christmas Binge
Available Through Grove Press

 

Durang’s 2005 play Miss Witherspoon is published with his light-hearted parody Mrs. Bob Cratchit’s Wild Christmas Binge in a paperback volume published by Grove Press.

Miss Witherspoon was a hit in its joint premiere at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton and Playwrights Horizons in New York.  Starring Kristine Nielsen and directed by Emily Mann, the play was named one of the Ten Best Plays of 2005 by Time Magazine and Newsday, and was a finalist for the Pulitizer Prize.

“This is Durang at the top of his metaphysical, apocalyptic, high- and pop-culture game...” – Linda Winer, Newsday.  “An endearingly meditative farce… it’s a pleasure to note that [Durang] hasn’t lost his screwball.” – Richard Corliss, Time.

Mrs. Bob Cratchit’s Wild Christmas Binge is Durang’s playful Dickens romp in which Scrooge’s journey to redemption is torpedoed by an out-of-control Mrs. Cratchit, who’s sick of all the suffering in her life and wants to get drunk and jump off London Bridge.  (Durang has been getting enthusiastic emails from people doing the play around the country at Christmas time.)

Reviews from the original production at City Theatre:  “A hilarious success. … [the show] goes in so many wonderfully loony directions at once.Gordon Spencer, Pittsburgh Pulp“Fiendishly funny” – Doug Shanaberger, Observor-Reporter“Durang is the toast of Pittsburgh!” – Edna Welthorpe, Daily Telegraph.

With a short introduction written by Durang, the book is available now.  Amazon Books or Grove/Atlantic (search under Durang). 

(Cover Design by Wendy Lai, Photograph by Peter Cook, Artwork courtesy of McCarter Theatre.)

The performance rights to both plays are handled by Dramatists Play Services


Old News:

Christopher Durang had two prominent revivals in the summer of 2008.  The first was Roundabout Theatre’s presentation of Durang’s 1985 Obie-winning playThe Marriage of Bette and Boo in its first major NYC revival.  The well received production was directed by Walter Bobbie, and starred Kate Jennings Grant and Christopher Evan Welch as Bette and Boo.   The rest of the talented cast was Victoria Clark and Adam LeFevre as Margaret and Paul, John Glover and Julie Hagerty as Karl and Soot, Heather Burns and Zoe Lister-Jones as sisters Emily and Joan, Terry Beaver as Father Donnally, and Charles Socarides as Matt.  

The second revival was Durang’s screwball comedy Beyond Therapy -- about messed up lovers and even more messed up therapists -- presented in a joint production by the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Williamstown, Massachusetts and the Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor, Long Island, N.Y.  The production was directed by Alex Timbers, and starred Katie Finneran and Darren Goldstein as Prudence and Bruce, Darrell Hammond and Kate Burton as the two therapists, Matt McGrath as Bob, and Bryce Pinkham as Andrew.   

THE WILLIAM INGE THEATRE FESTIVAL – Christopher Durang was the Honoree of the 27th William Inge Theatre Festival, April 23-26, 2008, in Independence, Kansas.  He received the William Inge Theatre Festival Distinguished Achievement in the American Theatre Award on Sat. April 26, 2008. Previous Honorees include Arthur Miller, August Wilson, Neil Simon, Edward Albee, Stephen Sondheim, Wendy Wasserstein, and Tina Howe, among others.  The tribute festival finale presented a full evening of excerpts of Durang’s work, performed by an impressive group of actors: Dominic Barker, Barbara Dana, Brad Herbelee, Kaitlin Hopkins, Susan Hyon, Michele Pawk, Jim Price, Patricia Randell, Alan Safier, Walter Willison, Elizabeth Wilson, and two “surprise guests,” Kate McGregor-Stewart and E. Katherine Kerr (both of whom originated roles in Durang’s works).  It was a lovely event.

PLAYWRIGHTS’ SIDEWALK – at the Lucille Lortel Awards on May 7, 2007, Durang was honored with a star on the sidewalk outside the Lucille Lortel Theatre on Christopher Street in New York City.  Movie stars famously have their feet and hand prints in the sidewalk outside of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.   This is the playwrights’ more modest version of that.  Check out this website, and move the cursor over the sidewalk and find out which playwrights are where.  

OldER News:

CHRISTOPHER DURANG was awarded the Harvard Arts Medal on May 5, 2006. Durang, a 1971 graduate of Harvard College, was the 12th person to win the medal, and the first playwright. Previous medal recipients include cellist Yo-Yo Ma ’76, film director Mira Nair ’79, director Peter Sellars ’80, composers William Christie ’66 and John Harbison ’60, National Theatre of the Deaf founder David Hays ’52, author John Updike ’54, musicians Bonnie Raitt ’72 and Pete Seeger ’40, and the late actor Jack Lemmon ’47.”  Click here: Harvard Gazette: Playwright Durang wins Harvard Arts Medal

Christopher Durang and Debra Monk performed in a revival of Durang’s play Laughing Wild in the spring of 2005 at the Huntington Theatre in Boston. The production was directed by Nicholas Martin.

DURANG and MARSHA NORMAN won the Margo Jones Medal last fall for their work in playwriting and especially for their teaching of emerging playwrights at the Juilliard School in Manhattan. There was a ceremony honoring them in November, 2004 at Juilliard.

Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge is a good antidote to holiday cheer for those theatres looking for such a thing. The play was a big hit when it premiered at City Theatre in Pittsburgh, and it is now available through Dramatists Play Services. There’s more information on this website in the Full Length Plays section.  Click Here for more about  Mrs. Bob Crachit's Wild Christmas Binge 

Beyond Therapy - perhaps of interest to people putting on that play of Durang’s about patients and their therapists, there is a recorded CD version of the play (a “play on tape” or rather “play on cd”).  It has a distinguished cast: David Hyde Pierce who plays Bruce, Catherine O’Hara (of all those funny Christopher Guest movies) who plays Prudence, Kate McGregor-Stewart who created the role of Mrs. Wallace in the original production on Broadway and who performs it again here; Ed Begley, Jr. who plays the macho therapist; Richard Kind who plays the lover Bob; and Durang who plays the small part of Andrew the waiter (which was originally done by David Hyde Pierce in his first Equity job).  If you’re interested, you can get the CD through Amazon here is their link: amazon.com

 


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