OLIVE AND THE BITTER HERBS Adds Extra Performance, 9/4

Due to popular demand, and to accommodate ticket holders affected by the cancellation of performances due to Hurricane Irene this past weekend, Primary Stages (Casey Childs, Founder & Executive Producer; Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director; Elliot Fox, Managing Director) has added a special performance on Sunday afternoon, September 4th at 3:00 p.m. to the World Premiere of a work commissioned by the company, the new comedy, Olive and the Bitter Herbs by Charles Busch directed by Mark Brokaw.

The five-member cast features Dan Butler as Trey, David Garrison as Robert, Julie Halston as Wendy, Marcia Jean Kurtz as Olive and Richard Masur as Sylvan.

Performances began Tuesday, July 26, 2011 for a limited run that will now conclude Sunday afternoon, September 4, 2011 at Primary Stages at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Opening night is Tuesday, August 16, 2011 at 7:00 p.m.

In Olive and the Bitter Herbs, the latest comedy from Tony-nominated playwright Charles Busch (The Divine Sister, The Tale of the Allergist's Wife), actress Olive Fisher sees a ghost in her mirror, but that's the least of her problems. Her radiator's broken, the couple next door stink up her apartment with exotic cheeses, and the highlight of her long career was a sausage commercial in the '80s. While she's not the most popular tenant, her neighbors invite themselves over and she finds herself hosting a Passover Seder. But are Olive's guests there to see her or the mysterious man in her mirror? Olive and the Bitter Herbs is a comedy about connecting to the people in our lives - those with us and those who have passed on.

The creative team includes Anna Louizos (Set), Suzy Benzinger (Costumes), Mary Louise Geiger (Lights) and John Gromada (Sound and Original Music). The Production Stage Manager is William H. Lang.

Olive and the Bitter Herbs plays the following performance schedule: Tuesdays Wednesday, and new this season, Thursdays at 7:00 p.m., Fridays at 8:00 p.m., Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m., with a Sunday matinee at 3:00 p.m. on August 21, and special Wednesday matinees at 2:00 p.m. on August 24 & 31. Following the public performances on August 18 & 25, there will be a special "Artist/Audience Talkback" for the attendees of those performances.

Single tickets for Olive and the Bitter Herbs are priced at $65 for all remaining performances through September 3. Tickets may be purchased by calling Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 , online at www.primarystages.org, or in person at the 59E59 Theaters Box Office.

Group Tickets (10+) $45 each for all remaining performances through September 3, and are available by calling (212) 840-9705 , ext. 204. Please visit the website at www.primarystages.org, or call (212) 840-9705 for additional information.

For theater patrons 35 and under, Primary Stages offers specially priced $20 tickets (maximum two tickets per valid ID). Advance tickets are available through Ticket Central using code PS35. Failure to present a valid ID will result in an additional fee. All tickets are subject to availability.

The 2011/2012 season at Primary Stages will continue with the New York Premiere of the new play, Motherhood Out Loud, written by Leslie Ayvazian, David Cale, Jessica Goldberg, Beth Henley, Lameece Issaq, Claire LaZebnik, Lisa Loomer, Michele Lowe, Marco Pennette, Theresa Rebeck, LuAnne Rice, Annie Weisman and Cheryl L. West, co-conceived by Susan R. Rose and Joan Stein, under the direction of Lisa Peterson (September 20, 2011 - October 29, 2011), followed by the World Premiere of the new comedy, Rx, by Kate Fodor directed by Ethan McSweeny (January 24, 2012 - March 3, 2012). The season concludes with the New York Premiere of the new play, The Morini Strad, by Willy Holtzman directed by Primary Stages Founder Casey Childs (March 20, 2012 - April 28, 2012).

Discounted 4-play subscription packages for previews and regular performances priced from $132-$172 are now available by calling Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or online at www.primarystages.org. For additional information about Primary Stages, please visit the website at www.primarystages.org.

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