MTC's CASA VALENTINA with Patrick Page, Gabriel Ebert & More Begins Performances Tonight

CASA VALENTINA, the new play by four-time Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein, directed by two-time Tony Award winner Joe Mantello, begins performances tonight, April 1 at Manhattan Theatre Club's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (261 West 47thStreet). The world premiere production is set to open on Broadway Wednesday, April 23.

The cast for Casa Valentina features Drama Desk Award winner Reed Birney (Taking Care of Baby at MTC, Blasted), Tony Award winner John Cullum (The Scottsboro Boys, "ER"), Tony Award winner Gabriel Ebert (Matilda, 4000 Miles), Obie Award winner Lisa Emery (Lonely, I'm Not; Iron at MTC), Tony Award nominee Tom McGowan (Wicked, "Everybody Loves Raymond"), Drama Desk Award nominee Patrick Page (Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark, Cyrano de Bergerac), Larry Pine (The Royal Family, "House of Cards"), Drama Desk Award winner Nick Westrate (Loot, Tribes), and Emmy Award winner and Oscar nominee Mare Winningham (Picnic, "Hatfields & McCoys").

CASA VALENTINA is produced by Manhattan Theatre Club (Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director; Barry Grove, Executive Producer), by special arrangement with Colin Callender, Robert Cole, Frederick Zollo and The Shubert Organization.

From four-time Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein (Kinky Boots, Newsies, La Cage aux Folles) comes Casa Valentina, his first play in almost thirty years and his first-ever collaboration with Manhattan Theatre Club. Two-time Tony Award winnerJoe Mantello (Take Me Out, Wicked) directs this funny, fascinating world premiere based on actual events.

Back in 1962, most men went to the Catskill Mountains to escape the summer heat, but others took the two-hour drive to escape something else entirely: being men. Nestled in the land of dirty dancing and borscht belt comedy sat an inconspicuous bungalow colony that catered to a very special clientele: heterosexual men whose favorite pastime was dressing and acting as women. It was paradise for these men-white-collar professionals with families-to spend their weekends discreetly and safely inhabiting their chosen female alter egos. But when they got the opportunity to share their secret lives with the world, these "self-made women" had to decide whether the freedom they would gain by emerging from hiding was worth the risk of personal ruin.

Infused with Fierstein's trademark wit, this moving, insightful and delightfully entertaining new work offers a glimpse into the lives of a group of unforgettable characters as they search for acceptance and happiness in their very own Garden of Eden.

The creative team for Casa Valentina includes Scott Pask (scenic design), Rita Ryack (costume design), Justin Townsend (lighting design), Fitz Patton (original music & sound design), Jason P. Hayes (hair, wig & makeup design), andThomas Schall (fight direction).

Lead support for Casa Valentina is provided by MTC's Producing Fund Partner, Andrew Martin-Weber. Casa Valentina is a recipient of an Edgerton Foundation New American Plays Award.

Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, MTC has become one of the country's most prominent and prestigious theatre companies. Over the past three decades, MTC productions have earned a total of 19 Tony Awards and six Pulitzer Prizes, an accomplishment unparalleled by a New York theatrical institution. MTC has a Broadway home at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (261 West 47th Street) and two Off-Broadway theatres at New York City Center (131 West 55th Street). Renowned MTC productions include The Assembled Parties; Venus in Fur; Master Class; Good People; The Whipping Man; Time Stands Still; The Royal Family; Ruined; The American Plan; Come Back, Little Sheba;Blackbird; Translations; Shining City; Rabbit Hole; Doubt; Proof; The Tale of the Allergist's Wife; Love! Valour! Compassion!; A Small Family Business; Sylvia; Putting It Together; Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune; Crimes of the Heart; and Ain't Misbehavin.'

Photo by Henry Leutwyler