Act II Playhouse Presents THE PRISONER OF SECOND AVENUE

Act II Playhouse has announced its latest production, "The Prisoner of Second Avenue" by Neil Simon.

The production is an Act II Playhouse Premiere and kicks off the 2022-2023 season.

"The Prisoner of Second Avenue" stars Act II Playhouse Artistic Director Tony Braithwaite as Mel Edison who is out of work, out of money, and going out of his mind; trapped with his wife, Edna, in their New York City apartment with an air conditioner that threatens to freeze him alive and walls as thin as paper. Mel is about to have nervous breakdown - and it might just be the best thing that ever happened to him!

The production is directed by Tom Teti and the cast features Sabrina Profitt as Edna Edison, with Peter Bisgaier, Linda Friday, Ellen Ratner, and Eleni Delopoulos as Mel's equally neurotic siblings.

Director Teti is reteaming with Braithwaite for their sixth collaboration on a Neil Simon play.

"Tony keeps me coming back because we both have an appreciation of the PLAY beneath the laugh," said Teti. "I always direct the situation and let him make it funny."

The production is set to highlight Simon's satirical skewering of everyday dilemmas.

"At its heart, 'Prisoner of Second Avenue' is about the struggle of a man and his wife to cope with the pressures of the day - finances, employment, marriage, family, even noisy neighbors," said Braithwaite. "But the couple uses humor as one of their best defenses. That's a timeless theme I imagine many of us relate to."

The late Neil Simon is the legendary comic playwright whose other works include The Odd Couple, The Out-of-Towners and Lost in Yonkers which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1991. Other Simon plays produced at Act II have included: Biloxi Blues, Brighton Beach Memoirs, and I Ought to be in Pictures.

Patricia G. Sabato is the Production Stage Manager, Paul Dake the Assistant Stage Manager and Covid Safety Advisor, Kevin Hoover the Set Designer, Teal Knight the Costume Designer, James Leitner the Lighting Designer, Kelly Palmer the Prop Designer and Alice Dake the Scenic Painter. Philadelphia Scenic Works will construct the sets.

"The Prisoner of Second Avenue" runs from August 30 through September 25, 2022. Ticket prices start at $32 and are available online at act2.org, by calling the Act II Box Office at 215-654-0200, or in-person at the Box Office at 56 E. Butler Ave., Ambler, PA. The Box Office is open Mon-Sat, 2 p.m. - 6 p.m. Student tickets are $15 and group discounts are available. Subscriptions are also available.

Act II Playhouse is committed to producing new, classic, and original plays, musicals, and cabarets that are both accessible and entertaining; and presenting those shows in a venue whose intimacy draws audiences and performers into a unique dynamic interaction. Act II Playhouse has received 39 Barrymore nominations and 6 Barrymore Awards. Act II Playhouse was founded in 1998; in 2012, Tony Braithwaite became the third Artistic Director in the theatre's history.

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