"BELLE EPOQUE" Opens at Lincoln Center Nov. 21

The world of the famed French artist Toulouse-Lautrec comes to life when Lincoln Center Theater's production of BELLE EPOQUE, a new work by Martha Clarke and Charles L. Mee, directed by Ms. Clarke, opens this Sunday (November 21) at 6:45pm at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater. BELLE EPOQUE is the second production of Lincoln Center Theater's 20th Anniversary season.

Set in 1890's Paris, in and around Montmartre's famed nightclub the Moulin Rouge, BELLE EPOQUE is a collage of hallucinogenic, absinthe-infused scenes depicting the life of the French artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (played by Mark Povinelli). Performed to music by Satie, Debussy and Faure, as well as popular music hall songs of the day, BELLE EPOQUE combines dance, music and text to paint an impressionistic theatrical portrait of the world of the great artist and the legendary music hall and its denizens -- the colorful performers and artists who inspired his work.

BELLE EPOQUE, which was developed by Lincoln Center Theater in a series of workshops over the last 18 months, features a company of actors, dancers and singers which includes Vivienne Benesch, Rob Besserer, Joyce Castle, Tomé Cousin, Honora Fergusson, Nina Goldman, Ruth Maleczech, Gabrielle Malone, Mark Povinelli, Michael Stuhlbarg, Paola Styron, Rebecca Wender and Robert Wersinger. The production has sets by Robert Israel, costumes by Jane Greenwood, and lighting by Christopher Ackerlind. Musical Director Jill Jaffe leads a four-piece onstage ensemble.

BELLE EPOQUE is performed Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 8pm, with matinees Wednesday and Saturday at 2pm and Sundays at 3pm. Tickets, priced from $65 to $70 are available at the Lincoln Center Theater box office, by calling Tele-Charge at (212) 239-6200 or by visiting www.lct.org.