Photo Coverage: Meet the Company of Primary Stages' PERFECT ARRANGEMENT
By: Jessica Fallon Gordon Sep. 11, 2015
Primary Stages, in association with Amy Danis, Mark Johannes, and Dan Shaheen, announces casting for Perfect Arrangement, a New York premiere by Topher Payne (Swell Party, The Only Light in Reno) and directed by Michael Barakiva (White People). The limited engagement runs September 29- November 6, 2015 at Primary Stages at The Duke on 42nd Street - a New 42nd Street® project. Opening night is Thursday, October 15 at 7PM.
Perfect Arrangement will feature Drama Desk nominee Julia Coffey (London Wall), Robert Eli (Saturn Returns, Tartuffe on Broadway), Mikaela Feely-Lehmann (Cyrano de Bergerac on Broadway), Christopher J. Hanke (How to Succeed..., Buyer and Cellar), Kelly McAndrew (Abundance, Almost, Maine),Kevin O'Rourke (The City of Conversation, "Boardwalk Empire") and Jennifer Van Dyck (The Divine Sister, Hedda Gabler).
In Topher Payne's biting comedy, Perfect Arrangement, it's 1950 and new colors are being added to the Red Scare. Two U.S. State Department employees, Bob and Norma, have been tasked with identifying sexual deviants within their ranks. The twist: Both Bob and Norma are gay, and have married each other's partners as a carefully constructed cover. Inspired by the true story of the earliest stirrings of the American gay rights movement, madcap "I Love Lucy" sitcom-style laughs give way to provocative drama as two "All-American" couples are forced to stare down the closet door, confronting the very struggles facing society today.
Perfect Arrangement features scenic design by Neil Patel, costume design by Jennifer Caprio, lighting design by Traci Klainer Polimeni, sound design by Ryan Rumery, hair and wig design by J. Jared Janas, and casting by Stephanie Klapper Casting.
"Topher Payne has been receiving raves in the regions for his plays and now we're very excited for him to make his New York playwriting debut with the smart and witty Perfect Arrangement," says Primary Stages Artistic DirectorAndrew Leynse. "With the recent legalization of gay marriage and LGBTQ rights at the forefront of today's politics, this play couldn't be more of-the-moment as we explore just how far we've come as a nation and what we have sacrificed to get where we are today."
Photo Credit: Jessica Fallon Gordon
Topher Payne
Michael Barakiva and Topher Payne
Dan Shaheen, Amy Danis, Michael Barakiva, Topher Payne, Andrew Leynse and Mark Johannes
Robert Eli, Kevin O'Rourke, Topher Payne, Michael Barakiva, Christopher J. Hanke, Julia Coffey, Jennifer Van Dyck, Mikaela Feely-Lehmann and Kelly McAndrew
Kevin O'Rourke
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