Brecht's Edward II Runs Off-Off-Broadway Sept. 8-25
By: BWW News Desk Aug. 24, 2005
"Brecht's version of Edward II is a sharp and searing commentary on the nature of war in society told through the rise and fall of the infamous, openly homosexual Plantagenet king of England, whose battles with a despotic and ambitious ruling class led to his deposition and murder," state production notes. Directed by Gabriel Shanks (also the artistic director of the theatre), this production of Edward II (a story that is perhaps best known through the more frequently-revived play by Christopher Marlowe) "moves the action into an imagined future, finding new modern relevance as it explores the devastating repercussions of a power-hungry, warring society."
Edward II features Willie LeVasseur as Edward II, Noshir Dalal as Gaveston, Janice Herndon as Anne, Frank Blocker as Mortimer and Joshua Marmer as Edward III. The cast also includes Josh Billig, Oscar Castillo, John Dohrmann, Christian Felix, R.J. Foster, Avi Glickstein, Damian Houston, Jefferey James Keyes, Shannon Maddox, Christopher McAllister and Matthew Trumbull. The show features set design by Allen Cutler, costume design by Shannon Maddox, lighting design by Erik C. Bruce and sound design by Chris Meade.
This production of Edward II follows Creative Mechanics' critically-acclaimed revival of the Steven Berkoff adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's Fall of the House of Usher, which was performed at The Independent Theatre last fall and was named one of 2004's "Best New York Theatre Productions" by Backstage. Other Creative Mechanics production include Stealing Pears (commissioned by Peculiar Works Project); Southern Gothic Novel, the acclaimed comic solo play by author/performer Frank Blocker and Better and Worse, a modern take on the myth of the warrior lovers Achilles and Patroclus created for the stART Series as part of the "April Showers" art event exploring the modern marriage debate. Creative Mechanics also produced Stage This!, an international short-play competition which presented its finalists in staged readings and published the selected plays in an anthology, currently available on Amazon.com. The Grand Prize for the first Stage This! competition - chosen by audience selection - was The Baggage Handler by Bill Johnson of Portland, Oregon.
Beginning Thursday, September 8, 2005, Edward II will play Thursday – Saturday evenings at 8 PM and matinees on Saturday at 2 PM and Sunday at 3 PM. Tickets for Edward II, which are priced at $15.00, are now available though smarttix.com (212-868-4444).
For more information, please visit www.creativemechanics.org.
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