A CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES Breaks Huntington Theatre Records

The Huntington Theatre Company's production of A Confederacy of Dunces became the highest-grossing show in the company's 33-year history, grossing over $2,120,000 during its 45-performance run from November 11 - December 20, 2015.

A Confederacy of Dunces has overtaken the sales record held by the Huntington's 2013 production of A Jungle Book. Over 37,000 people attended A Confederacy of Dunces, a distinction it only shares with the Huntington's 2003 production of Butley.

A Confederacy of Dunces was adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher from the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by John Kennedy Toole, directed by David Esbjornson (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and All My Sons at the Huntington) and featured Nick Offerman of NBC's "Parks and Recreation." The production was presented in cooperation with a team of developmental partners including Robert Guza, John Hardy, LSU Press, and Academy Award-winning filmmaker Steven Soderbergh.

Nick Offerman starred as the larger-than-life character Ignatius J. Reilly: overweight, arrogant, eccentric, and still living with his mother in 1960s New Orleans. Called the Don Quixote of the French Quarter, Ignatius has a singular outlook on life. His farcical odyssey includes a riot in a department store and a raid on a strip club, and stints working at a pants factory and as a hot dog vendor. A Confederacy of Dunces is a hilarious, wild ride, filled with colorful characters and comic misadventures.

Photo by T. Charles Erickson