MTC Will Bring Lisa D'Amour's AIRLINE HIGHWAY to New York Following Chicago Run; Joe Mantello to Direct

Lynne Meadow and Barry Grove have announced Manhattan Theatre Club will present the Steppenwolf Theatre Company's production of AIRLINE HIGHWAY, the new play by Pulitzer Prize finalist, Lisa D'Amour (Detroit), directed by two-time Tony Award winner Joe Mantello (Casa Valentina, Take Me Out).

The limited engagement will begin previews Wednesday, April 1, 2015 and open Thursday, April 23, 2015 at MTC's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (261 West 47th Street). Prior to coming to MTC, AIRLINE HIGHWAY will receive its world premiere at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company's Downstairs Theatre (December 4, 2014 - February 8, 2015).

In the parking lot of The Hummingbird, a once-glamorous motel on New Orleans' infamous Airline Highway, a group of friends gather. A rag-tag collection of strippers, hustlers, and philosophers have come together to celebrate the life of Miss Ruby, an iconic burlesque performer who has requested a funeral before she dies. The party rages through the night as old friends resurface to pay their respects. A world premiere from the author of Detroit, AIRLINE HIGHWAY is a boisterous and moving ode to the outcasts that make life a little more interesting.

Casting for the 15-person ensemble at Manhattan Theatre Club and creative team for the production will be announced in the coming weeks.

AIRLINE HIGHWAY was commissioned and developed by Steppenwolf Theatre Company with support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

AIRLINE HIGHWAY is presented as part of MTC's 2014-2015 season, joining the previously announced world premiere productions of THE COUNTRY HOUSE by Donald Margulies, directed by Daniel Sullivan, now in rehearsals with Blythe Danner, Kate Jennings Grant, Eric Lange, David Rasche, Sarah Steele, and Daniel Sunjata; CONSTELLATIONS by Nick Payne, directed by Michael Longhurst starring Jake Gyllenhaal; LOST LAKE by David Auburn, directed by Daniel Sullivan starring John Hawkes and Tracie Thoms; and THE WORLD OF EXTREME HAPPINESS by Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig, directed by Eric Ting; THE SWING OF THE SEA by Richard Greenberg, directed by Lynne Meadow; and BY THE WATER, by Sharyn Rothstein, directed by Hal Brooks. One additional production for the 2014-2015 season will be announced shortly.