Richard Maxwell to Premiere THE EVENING at The Kitchen

The Kitchen and Performance Space 122 present the New York premiere of The Evening by celebrated playwright-director Richard Maxwell. The Evening is the first installment of a Divine Comedy-inspired triptych that charts a journey across landscapes, toward redemption. This elegiac and musical work concerns three archetypes: a fighter, a corrupt manager, and a prostitute, as they clash and reckon with one another in a remote dive bar. As these characters gain awareness, a bid for freedom develops.

Simultaneously intimate and universal, familiar and abstract, The Evening results in a moving rendering of the human condition laid bare.

The death of Mr. Maxwell's father, which occurred during the writing and rehearsals, impacted the course of the play. From its prologue: "I kept trying to write while my dad was dying. As I wrote, I felt more and more like I was the one being written. Actually, the sensation was one of being unwritten, and without form."

Performances of The Evening will take place (see above schedule) at The Kitchen, which is located at 512 West 19th Street. Press are welcome as of Friday March 13. Tickets are $25 ($18 students, seniors) and available online at www.thekitchen.org; by phone at 212.255.5793 x11; and in person at The Kitchen, Tuesdays-Saturdays, 2:00-6:00 P.M.

The Evening features performances by New York City Players (NYCP) veterans Jim Fletcher and Brian Mendes and newcomer Cammisa Buerhaus. Live music will be played by David Louis Zuckerman (drums), James Moore (Guitar) and Andie Springer (Bass); the creative team also includes: Sascha van Riel (Scenic Designer), Kaye Voyce (Costume Designer) and Molly Grogan (Dramaturg).

New York City Players is a theater company founded by Artistic Director Richard Maxwell in 1999. NYCP has been presented in New York and in over twenty countries and has received national and international recognition, including five Obie Awards. www.nycplayers.org