Metropolitan Playhouse to Present Rachel Crothers' A MAN'S WORLD, 9/14-10/13

The Metropolitan Playhouse--2011 Obie Award winner--presents a revival of A Man's World, by Rachel Crothers, from September 14 - October 13, 2013. Directed by Michael Hardart at Metropolitan's home: 220 E 4th Street.

Frank Ware is living on her own terms in 1910 Greenwich Village and thriving. A rising novelist documenting New York's underclass, all the more esteemed for her breaking the stereotypes of women writers, she is the well-loved center of a vibrant crew of striving artists, and the loving foster mother to an orphaned boy. But her independence and generosity cannot protect her from the gossip of the less successful, nor the doubts of a man she loves. When questions of her adopted son's parentage take over her closest relationships, Frank is forced to test her ideals agsinst the harsh realities of the world she always risen above. In the private crisis of 1910 bohemians, struggling in each their own way to live creatively in a restrained world, the play confronts enduring double standards, the barriers to transcending social mores, the compromises faced by the artistically ambitious, and the torments of ideal loves residing in human hearts. The play's now hundred-year-old portrait continues to capture the challenge for the disenfranchised--whether by gender, orientation, faith, race, or temperament--forced to sacrifice either herself or her hope of acceptance, even by those she loves.

One of Rachel Crothers's early works, A Man's World was staged in 1910 at the Comedy Theatre for a respectable 71 performances, receiving widely divergent reviews. Clearly touching nerves in its critics for its confrontation of the pervasive injustice of the day's mores, the play was notably hailed by the Times as "remarkably fine," and praised for its sophisticated, nuanced and truthful handling of important themes. Adapted in 1918 to the screen, starring Emily Stevens, and directed by Herbert Blaché, the play has seen occasional revivals, though the last in New York was at Metropolitan itself, in an accomplished 1999 production. The current revival (with an entirely different cast and production team) is staged with an eye towards bringing this worthy play the larger audience afforded by the theater's growth.

Rachel Crothers (1878 - 1958), the daughter of two Illinois physicians, graduated high school at the age of 13, and studied dramatic arts in Boston the following year. Though she returned to Illinois for several years, following her father's death and with her mother's support, she moved to New York at age 19, and devoted herself to the stage. She gave up her acting career as her plays received production and notice, and was able to make her living and career as a prolific and highly regarded playwright of searching dramas as well as lighter comedies, always with an inquisitive to critical eye on the mores and of her age. She wrote some 23 plays, and often directed their premieres, among themThe Three of Us (1903), Nice People (1921), Mary the Third (1923), Expressing Willie (1924), As Husbands Go (1931.) In the past several years, New York and the region have seen several well-received productions of her work, includingHe and She (1920) at East Lynne Theatre Company in 2011; Susan and God (1937) and A Little Journey (1918) at The Mint in 2006 and 2011 respectively.

Under the direction of Michael Hardart (Both Your Houses, Deep Are the Roots, Under the Gaslight, and It Pays to Advertise,) the cast features Kathleen Dobbs (André) as Frank Ware, Kelly Dean Cooper, Dane Dandridge, Regina Gibson, Timothy C. Goodwin, Kendall Rileigh (The Melting Pot, The Drunkard), Perri Yaniv, and Michael Fader, as Kiddie. Set Design is by Alex Roe (The Henrietta, The Detour, The Boss.) Lighting Design by Christopher Weston(The Henrietta, The Detour, The Boss, Both Your Houses,) and Costumes by Sidney Fortner (The Henrietta, The Detour, The Boss, and NYIT Award winner for The House of Mirth.) William V. Carlton stage manages.

Metropolitan Playhouse now begins its 22nd season, devoted to Justice. The Playhouse explores America's theatrical heritage through forgotten plays of the past and new plays of American historical and cultural moment. Called an "indispensable East Village institution" by nytheatre.com and "invaluable" by Back Stage, Metropolitan has earned accolades from The New York Times, and received a 2011 OBIE Grant from The Village Voice for its ongoing productions that illuminate who we are by revealing where we have come from. Other awards include nominations for 2 NYIT awards in 2013 (for The Detour), 5 nominations in 2012 (The House of Mirth; Sidney Fortner winner for costumes), and 5 more in 2010 (The Return of Peter Grimm; Frank Anderson winner for lead actor). Recent productions include The Henrietta, The Detour, The Boss, Both Your Houses, The House of Mirth, Deep Are the Roots, The Jazz Singer, From Rags to Riches, One-Third of a Nation, The Great Divide, Uncle Tom's Cabin, The Drunkard, Dodsworth, as well as the Alphabet City and East Village Chronicles series.

Ticket Prices: $25 general admission, $20 students/seniors, and $10 children under 18.
Preview admission prices are $15.00 for those over 18; $10 for children. To purchase tickets online visit www.metropolitanplayhouse.org/tickets, or call 1 800 838 3006.

Photo: Alex Roe