Tonya Pinkins Joins Cast of Playwrights Horizons, La Jolla Playhouse's MILK LIKE SUGAR

Playwrights Horizons, Women's Project and La Jolla Playhouse have announced a casting update for the upcoming New York premiere of MILK LIKE SUGAR, a new play by Kirsten Greenidge in her New York debut, directed by Rebecca Taichman (Menopausal Gentlemen, Orlando, The Scene).

Tony Award winner Tonya Pinkins (Caroline, or Change; Jelly's Last Jam; Radio Golf; "All My Children"), currently starring in the World Premiere of MILK LIKE SUGAR at La Jolla Playhouse, has joined the cast of the New York production. The previously-announced Eisa Davis has had to withdraw from the New York production due to a filming commitment.

Ms. Pinkins and the West Coast production have received rave reviews. Writing in The Los Angeles Times, David C. Nichols called the play, "A must-see. MILK LIKE SUGAR truthfully balances street with sweet, to entertaining, illuminating and nourishing effect. The cast is marvelous!" Bob Verini in Variety called it, "Remarkable. One of the works of art for which 2011 will be remembered."

The New York premiere of MILK LIKE SUGAR will begin previews Thursday, October 13 with an Opening Night set for Tuesday, November 1 at 7PM. The limited engagement will play through Sunday, November 20 at Playwrights Horizons Peter Jay Sharp Theater (416 West 42nd Street),

The New York production now features the entire original World Premiere cast, which in addition to Ms. Pinkins, also includes the previously-announced Cherise Boothe (Ruined at MTC, King Hedley II at Signature, "The Good Wife"), 2-time Audelco Award nominee Angela Lewis (Inked Baby at Playwrights Horizons, Sand at Women's Project, The Brother/Sister Plays at The Public, Hoodoo Love), Nikiya Mathis (The Brother/Sister Plays at The Public), LeRoy McClain (Broadway's Cymbeline, The History Boys), J. Mallory-McCree (Zooman and the Sign at Signature) and Adrienne C. Moore (The 24 Hour Plays).

With potential for more but nowhere to put it, sixteen-year-old Annie's (Angela Lewis) got a choice: honor the pregnancy pact she made with her friends, or find the path to a brighter future. MILK LIKE SUGAR is a searing, sharply observant new play that finds savage humor and gritty poetry in one inner-city girl's struggle to carve out a life beyond the only one she knows.

MILK LIKE SUGAR will feature scenic design by Mimi Lien, costume design by Toni-Leslie James, lighting design by Justin Townsend and sound design by Andre Pluess. Production Stage Manager is Kyle Gates.

The performance schedule for MILK LIKE SUGAR will be Tuesdays through Fridays at 7:30 PM, Saturdays at 2PM & 7:30 PM and Sundays at 2PM & 7PM. There will be a special Monday evening performance on October 31 at 7:30 PM and a special Wednesday matinee performance on November 9 at 2PM. Tickets, $55, may be purchased online via www.TicketCentral.com, by phone at (212) 279-4200 (Noon-8pm daily), or in person at the Ticket Central Box Office, 416 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues).

Three special performances of MILK LIKE SUGAR will offer PLAYTIME!, the new program offering affordable, professional childcare while patrons see a show. PLAYTIME! is free to Playwrights Horizons subscribers and available to non-subscribers for a flat fee of $15 per child. PLAYTIME! care will be offered during the following three performances: Sunday, October 23 at 2PM; Sunday matinee, November 6 at 2PM; and Friday evening, November 11 at 7:30 PM. After tickets for MILK LIKE SUGAR have been purchased (through Ticket Central), PLAYTIME! childcare reservations should be made in advance online at www.PlaytimeNYC.org. This program is supported by funds from the City of New York Theater Subdistrict Council, LDC and the City of New York, Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Elroy and Terry Krumholz Foundation.

A ticketing initiative created as part of Playwrights Horizons' Arts Access program, LIVEforFIVE makes available $5 tickets for the first preview performance of each Playwrights Horizons production through a lottery via the company's website. The LIVEforFIVE lottery for MILK LIKE SUGAR will be for tickets to the first preview on Thursday, October 13 at 7:30 PM. Details for the lottery are as follows: beginning Wednesday, October 5 at 10AM, theatergoers can enter the lottery by filling out an entry form at www.playwrightshorizons.org. Entries will be accepted until Tuesday, October 11 at 12 Noon. Winners of the lottery will be notified via email no later than 3PM on Tuesday, October 11 with instructions on how to book their $5 tickets. Unclaimed tickets will be offered via email starting at 12 Noon on Wednesday, October 12 on a first-come, first-served basis. One or two tickets may be purchased for $5 each. At total of 40 tickets will be available for Sharp shows via the lottery.

Reflecting Playwrights Horizons' ongoing commitment to making its productions more affordable to younger audiences, the theater company will offer HOTtix, $25 rush tickets, subject to availability, day of performance only, starting one hour before showtime to patrons aged 30 and under. Proof of age required. One ticket per person, per purchase. STUDENT RUSH, $15 rush tickets, subject to availability, day of performance only, starting one hour before curtain to full-time graduate and undergraduate students. One ticket per person, per purchase. Valid student ID required.

LIVEforFIVE, HOTtix and STUDENT RUSH are some of Playwrights Horizons' popular Arts Access initiatives, which allow the institution to reach out to those who may not be able to afford the cost of a full-price theater ticket. This program is supported, in part, by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and The McGraw-Hill Companies.

Three brand-new subscription packages to Playwrights Horizons' 2011/2012 season are currently available: a 6-show Subscription package ($225, four Mainstage and two Peter Jay Sharp Theater Productions); a 5-show Subscription package ($187.50, three Mainstage and two Peter Jay Sharp Theater Productions); FlexPass (4+ tickets, $45-50 per ticket); and Membership ($55 membership fee + one ticket at $40 or less for each show, as desired). In addition, the company continues to offer 30&Under Membership ($20 membership fee + one $20 ticket for each show, as desired); and Student Membership ($10 membership fee + one $10 ticket for each show, as desired). In addition to discounts on all season attractions, subscribers receive priority booking and seating, ticket exchange privileges, parking and dining discounts, and exclusive mailings of Playwrights Horizons Bulletins. Packages are available at www.ticketcentral.com.

Playwrights Horizons' season productions are generously supported in part by The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. MILK LIKE SUGAR has received generous support from Time Warner Inc. and the Peter Jay Sharp Foundation.

Playwrights Horizons is supported in part by public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. In addition, Playwrights Horizons receives major support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Time Warner Inc., the Charina Endowment Fund and the Peter Jay Sharp Foundation.

Following MILK LIKE SUGAR, Playwrights Horizons' 2011/2012 Season will continue with the previously-announced MAPLE & VINE, the New York premiere of a new play by Jordan Harrison, directed by Obie Award winner Anne Kauffman; ASSISTANCE, the New York premiere of a new play by Leslye Headland, directed by Trip Cullman; THE BIG MEAL, the New York premiere of a new play by Dan LeFranc, directed by Obie Award winner Sam Gold; and RAPTURE, BLISTER, BURN, the World Premiere of a new play by Pulitzer Prize finalist and Obie Award winner Gina Gionfriddo, directed by Peter DuBois.

Following MIKE LIKE SUGAR, Women's Project's 2011/2012 continues with Catherine Trieschmann's new play HOW THE WORLD BEGAN directed by Daniella Topol on her third go-round at the helm of a Woman's Project main stage. HOW THE WORLD BEGAN will grace The Peter Jay Sharp Theater December 28 through January 29. HOW THE WORLD BEGAN is a Women's Project production in association with South Coast Rep. Women's Project's third production of the season will connect theater history, current impulses and the unique vision of the 16 artists of the Women's Project Lab in a collaborative theater event entitled WE PLAY FOR THE GODS. This event will be presented in June 2012 in theater with a working heating and air-conditioning system, the location of which will be announced soon.

For subscription and ticket information to all Playwrights Horizons productions and co-productions, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200, Noon to 8 pm daily, or purchase online at the Playwrights Horizons website at www.playwrightshorizons.org.

 

Photo Credit: Peter James Zielinski