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Primary Stages' '06-'07 Season Features Works by Durang, McNally and Gurney

By: Feb. 27, 2006
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Primary Stages, in residence at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park & Madison Avenues), has announced its line-up of new plays for the 2006-2007 season.

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The new season will feature two world premieres: Indian Blood by A.R. Gurney with direction Mark Lamos and Deuce by Terrence McNally featuring Marian Seldes. Receiving their New York premieres will be Southern Comforts by Kathleen Clark with Dixie Carter and Hal Holbrook directed by Leonard Foglia, and the new musical Adrift in Macao with book and lyrics by Christopher Durang, music by Peter Melnick, direction by Sheryl Kaller and choreography by Christopher Gattelli.

Opening the 22nd season at Primary Stages will be the world premiere of Indian Blood by A.R. Gurney, "a witty, warm, and thoroughly delightful comedy about family and the coming-of-age...Young Eddie uses his Indian ancestry as a cause and an excuse for his adolescent attacks on the genteel world around him. Was it his Seneca tribe or his talent as a budding artist that caused his privileged world to turn upside down?" Gurney has previously written The Dining Room, Sylvia, Love Letters, The Fourth Wall, and Strictly Academic. Indian Blood debuts July 25, 2006 for a limited run through September 3, 2006 and is directed by Mark Lamos.

Southern Comforts by Kathleen Clark, which was a finalist for the prestigious Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for Playwrighting. "Some people need continuous change in order to feel vital and alive. Others are terrified of unsettling the peace that they have established...husband and wife acting duo Dixie Carter and Hal Holbrook star in this tour-de-force journey of a widow and widower who meet later in life and find a way into each other's hearts. Southern Comforts is a beautiful exploration of the intimate workings of all relationships." The New York debut of Southern Comforts begins October 3, 2006 for a limited engagement through November 19, 2006 under the direction of Leonard Foglia.

Receiving its New York premiere is the new film noir musical parody, Adrift in Macao with book and lyrics by Christopher Durang (Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You; The Marriage of Bette and Boo) and music by Peter Melnick. "Mixing together farce, camp, and tongue-in-cheek wit, Adrift in Macao spins the tale of five quirky characters stranded in a Casablanca-like locale in the Far East. Complete with intrigue, silliness and a playfully melodic score, Adrift in Macao is the newest work from a gifted young theater composer and one of America's funniest playwrights!" The show will be directed by Sheryl Kaller with choreography by Christopher Gattelli, performances begin January 23, 2007 continuing through March 4, 2007.

Closing out the season is the world premiere engagement of the new play Deuce by Terrence McNally (The Stendhal Syndrome; Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune; Master Class; Love! Valour! Compassion!), featuring Marian Seldes. Performances begin April 3, 2007 and continue through May 6, 2007.

Concluding the current 21st season at Primary Stages is A Safe Harbor for Elizabeth Bishop by Marta Góes. Amy Irving stars in this one-woman portrait of the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet under the direction of Richard Jay-Alexander.  Performances begin March 21, 2006 for a limited engagement through April 30, 2006 at 59E59 Theaters.

The 2005-2006 season at Primary Stages began with Dedication or The Stuff of Dreams by Terrence McNally directed by Michael Morris featuring Nathan Lane and Marian Seldes, followed by the world premiere of the hit Off-Broadway play In The Continuum, written and performed by Danai Gurira and Nikkole Salter with direction by Robert O'Hara. Originally produced by Primary Stages at its home at 59E59 Theaters, where it received critical acclaim, In The Continuum transferred to the Perry Street Theatre and was co-produced by Primary Stages in association with the Perry Street Theatre, Patrick Blake, and Cheryl Wiesenfeld. Currently in performance through March 5 at 59E59 Theaters is The Right Kind of People by Charles Grodin, directed by Chris Smith. For tickets call Ticketcentral.com at 212-279-4200.

Primary Stages, now the resident company at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59 Street), "was founded in 1984 as a New York state non-profit theatre company with the mission of producing new plays and nurturing the development of playwrights. Primary Stages has significantly contributed to the non-profit theatre community producing twenty seasons and over ninety productions. By fostering an environment where writers are encouraged to explore the scope of their creative vision, Primary Stages has been instrumental in developing the skills of hundreds of young artists as well as helping to create a library of new works for theatre." Primary Stages has given life to numerous new plays (many of them world premieres) by such writers as A.R. Gurney, Terrence McNally, Julia Jordan, Conor McPherson, Willy Holtzman, Romulus Linney, Donald Margulies, Melissa Manchester, John Patrick Shanley, Lanie Robertson, Gen LeRoy, David Ives, Constance Congdon, and Mac Wellman.

A 4-play subscription package is available to renewing subscribers for $160 by calling TicketCentral at (212) 279-4200 or online at www.TicketCentral.com. For additional information about Primary Stages, please visit the website at www.primarystages.com.







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