Rolin Jones' The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow, Harold Pinter's Celebration and The Room,Martin McDonagh's The Lieutenant of Inishmore and Duncan Sheik and Steven Saber's Spring Awakeningwill mark the company's 20th anniversary. "Founded in 1985 by
playwright David Mamet and actor William H. Macy, Atlantic has
presented over 100 productions while remaining committed to their initial vision
of producing great plays simply and truthfully while utilizing a resident
artistic ensemble," states a press article.The season will kick of with the New York premiere of Jones' The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow, which will run from August 31st to October 16th, with an opening night set for September 19th. "Jennifer
is just an average girl who re-engineers obsolete missile components for the
U.S. Army from her bedroom. Afraid to leave her house, yet desperate to
find her birth mother in China, she uses her technological genius to devise a
new form of human contact." The show will be directed by Jackson Gay.
Neil Pepe will stage Pinter's Celebration and The Room from November 16th to January 18th, 2006, with an opening night on December 8th. "Pinter's first (The Room) and most recent play (Celebration)
complement each other in this double-bill. Celebration opens on a
wedding anniversary in an ultra-trendy restaurant, with three successful couples
jockeying for the upper hand. In contrast, The Room descends into a
nightmare world of insecurity and uncertainty in a shabby one-room London
flat. Although separated by more than 40 years, both plays resonate
with the human desperation to find safe haven in a threatening world."The American premiere of McDonagh's (The Pillowman, The Beauty Queen of Leenane) play The Lieutenant of Inishmore will run from February 8th to April 9th; it will open on March 2nd. An "Olivier Award winning
black comedy, The Lieutenant of Inishmore is set in 1993 in County Galway
on the rocky island of Inishmore, off the coast of Ireland. Padraic is a
terrorist with no feeling for those he kills, yet has an obsessive attachment to
Thomas, his beloved cat. But someone has murdered poor wee Thomas.
Was it an accident or an execution? Either way, the death must be
concealed before 'Mad Padraic' returns from a stint of torture and
bombing. Otherwise the recriminations will be horrifying."
Following
an acclaimed American Songbook concert staging last season, Atlantic will present
the world premiere production of the new musical Spring Awakening. Directed by Michael Mayer (Thoroughly Modern Millie) and "adapted from Frank Wedekind's controversial masterpiece about the bold
depiction of teenagers' sexual awakenings and their consequences in a
puritanical society, Spring
Awakening
features music by Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Sheik
("Barely Breathing") and book and lyrics by Sater (Carbondale
Dreams)." It will run from May 10th to July 2nd, with its opening on June 11th.A subscription to the Atlantic Theater Company (336 W. 20th St., between 8th and 9th Avenues) will allow the subscriber to see all four works for $20 each. For information and tickets, call (212) 645-1242 or visit www.atlantictheater.org. For single tickets, call TeleCharge.com at (212)
239-6200.
