The Petersons with Matthew Saldivar Play Joe's Pub 7/10

The Petersons, whose mixture of folk rock music and character-based comedy have made them one of downtown's favorite rock and roll families, are back for a one-night-only appearance at Joe's Pub, Monday, July 10 at 9:30pm.

Described by The New York Times as "a hipster theater mock-rock group with a devoted following," The Petersons are Keira Naughton, Evan Robertson, Pete Simpson, Matt Saldivar, and Adam Stein—a New York City band disguised as a group of eccentrics from upstate New York. What started as a one-night gig conceived by a group of actors who met in graduate school at NYU has turned into an ongoing rock and roll serial comedy that has run for five years.

Since their early performances consisting of a handful of original songs and sprinklings of dialogue, this five-person ensemble has written and performed over 30 ninety-minute shows of comedy, music, improvisation, and film. In addition to the continuing saga of the original five members, The Petersons have created a virtual community of characters with the help of myriad special guests from the worlds of theater, film, television, and music. Special guests have included Academy Award winner Paul Newman, Tony Award winners James Naughton and Robert Sean Leonard, Emmy Award nominee Michael C. Hall, Hedwig himself John Cameron Mitchell, and Gavin DeGraw, among many others.

This blend of improvisation, rock and roll, and serial comedy has earned the group rave reviews, including one from Time Out New York that called them "one of the funniest, most original shows in town." The Petersons have played to sold-out crowds in a variety of rock clubs, cabarets and theaters, including repeat performances at Joe's Pub, Caroline's on Broadway, Ars Nova, The West Bank, Sin-e, Galapagos, The Cutting Room, Fez, The Bottom Line, and the Whitney Museum of Contemporary Art. They were invited to be participants in the 20th anniversary season of New York Stage and Film where they developed a two act version of their work featuring a full concert in the second act, which played to packed houses.

Individual bios

Keira Naughton's Broadway credits include The Rivals, Dance of Death, The Three Sisters, and All My Sons. She appeared in Indoor Outdoor; Proof at the Arena Stage; and Company at the Kennedy Center. Her film credits include Dumped!, Blair Witch 2, and Cradle Will Rock. Ms. Naughton has a B.A from Skidmore College and an M.F.A. from the N.Y.U. Graduate Acting Program.

Evan Robertson is a graduate of Yale University and The Julliard School of Drama.

Matthew Saldivar won rave reviews for his performance in The Wedding Singer. Ben Brantley of The New York Times called him "excellent," and Peter Marks in the Washington Post wrote, "Saldivar's schlubby Sammy – a guy you instantly recognize as the good-natured loser whose best subject in high school was study hall – is a dead on achievement" He has appeared in productions at the Labyrinth, Atlantic Theater, WPA, Blue Light, Drama Dept, and New York Shakespeare Festival. He received his double B.A. in Theater and Spanish from Middlebury College, and his M.F.A. in acting from Tisch School of the Arts at N.Y.U.

Pete Simpson is a collaborator of the playwright Richard Maxwell and a long time member of Blue Man Group.

Adam Stein has performed at Steppenwolf, the Old Globe, the Guthrie, Seattle Repertory Theatre, The McCarter Theatre, the Williamstown Theatre Festival, and many others. In New York he has appeared at the New York Shakespeare Festival, the Vineyard, Theatre for a New Audience, Primary Stages, and on Broadway in "The Iceman Cometh" with Kevin Spacey and Julie Taymor's "The Lion King." He has a recurring role on NBC's "Law and Order" and received his B.A. from Yale University and his M.F.A. from N.Y.U.'s graduate acting program.

The real-life (fictional) story of The Petersons

The Petersons are a band that live in Upstate New York in a river town called Essex-on-Haugutuck which was once a thriving center of American industry but that like so many small cities, hit hard times in the 70's and is now a struggling community. Mrs. Peterson (Keira Naughton) is the daughter of James Callahan, an apple juice magnate who still controls the orchards that surround the town. She is married to Mr. Peterson (Adam Stein) who is a local mailman. Mrs. Peterson's father profoundly disapproves of Mr. Peterson and of the life style that his daughter has pursued. The Petersons have an open marriage which they struggle with constantly and they play in a rock and roll band together. Mrs. Peterson and her husband live rent free in an old Victorian house that sits on a hill surrounded by the orchards that built her fathers fortune.

In this house, Mrs. Peterson wiles away the endless days living off the "small" allowance that her father provides her which supplements the meager income from Mr. Peterson's civil servitude. She is a self described sensualist who is always involved with one half finished artistic venture or another. Fortunately, she is supported in these endeavors by not only her husband but also by three other odd balls who have come to nest with the Petersons. Pete Petersen (curiously similar last name, yet spelled differently) (Pete Simpson) is Mr. Peterson's best friend from high school. After disappearing for several years, Pete has returned to the area in his Coleman Spider camper which he now lives in just off the house on the Peterson property. He is a mad philosopher politico and short wave radio enthusiast as well as the drummer for the the Petersons band.

Father Tom (Evan Robertson) is the lead guitar player for the Petersons. Father Tom is a conflicted priest who is on a protracted sabbatical while he sorts through some of life's more complicated questions away from the additional pressures that come with leading a congregation. He just needs some Tom Time. He also needs a place to live and Mr and Mrs Peterson were more than willing to let him stay in their home for a period while he sorts himself out. That period has gone on for quite a while and Tom shows no intention of leaving. He lives in the attic.

The other member of the family is Julio de los Flacos (Matthew Saldicar). He came to town as a migrant fruit picker in the apple orchards owned by Mrs. Peterson's father. Julio fell in love with Mrs. Peterson's sister, Claudia and they married in a romantic fever but Claudia soon wearied of the union perhaps because she didn't speak a lick of Spanish or perhaps because she concurred with Mr. Callahan that she had married beneath her just as her sister had. Julio was nearly destroyed. He still yearns for her and is now stranded in Upstate New York. He works odd jobs and is apprentice to an exterminator. Mrs. Peterson has a special fondness for Julio, a VERY special fondness and made a place for him in the band and in their home. Julio plays bass and lives over the garage.

These five eccentrics live together in a creative wonderland making music, dance, super 8 movies, art, trouble and dinner.

Tickets for The Petersons at Joe's Pub are $15 and are available at The Public Theater box office, 425 Lafayette Street, or through Telecharge: www.telecharge.com or 212.239.6200.