Phylicia Rashad-Helmed FENCES, THE LAST FIVE YEARS and More Set for Long Wharf Theatre's 49th Season

Single tickets for Long Wharf Theatre's 2012-13 season are on sale starting Monday, August 5. Tickets are $40-$75 and can be purchased by calling the box office at 203-787-4282 or visiting www.longwharf.org.

"We've assembled a wide range of engaging, enlightening, and exhilarating opportunities for people to have a great night out at the theatre. It's a season about laughter, love, family, work and disappointment - in short, stories about human beings connecting," said Artistic Director Gordon Edelstein. "We want to remind people that what they get through the live experience they can't get anywhere else."

The season will begin in October with a farce, The Underpants, by Steve Martin, directed by Edelstein. Phylicia Rashad will make her Long Wharf Theatre directorial debut in November with Fences, the Pulitzer Prize-winning classic by August Wilson. Heidi Schreck, known for her brilliant career as both an actor and a playwright, will debut her newest work, The Consultant, on Stage II in January. Amy Herzog, author of 4000 Miles, playing the Mainstage in late February, is being lauded as one of the important new voices in the American theatre. Athol Fugard makes his first appearance on stage in over a decade in the world premiere of his most recent work The Shadow of the Hummingbird, taking place in April. The season will conclude with the much beloved musical The Last Five Years, taking place in May on the Mainstage.

For more information about the 2013-14 season, or to purchase tickets, visit www.longwharf.org or call 203-787-4282.

Long Wharf Theatre 2013-14 SEASON:

The Underpants

By Carl Sternheim

An Adaptation by Steve Martin

Directed by Gordon Edelstein

October 16-November 10, 2013 - The Claire Tow Stage in the C. Newton Schenck III Theatre

Pretty young Louise is bored. Bored with her stuffy bureaucrat of a husband and with her small life. Dreaming of adventure and romance, she goes out to see the King on parade and an unexpected thing happens - her lacy bloomers accidentally fall to her ankles, winning her notoriety, a series of smitten suitors, and more excitement than she's had in years. Adapted by film actor and legendary comedian Steve Martin, The Underpants is a stylish and giddy farce where one learns to never underestimate the power of a glimpse of lingerie. "An ambitious amalgam of comic book and social commentary, made out of sex jokes, slamming doors and sophisticated repartee... laugh-out-loud funny" - The New York Times

Fences

By August Wilson

Directed by Phylicia Rashad

November 27-December 22, 2013 - The Claire Tow Stage in the C. Newton Schenck III Theatre

Troy Maxson found glory in his youth battling fastballs on the outside corner in the Negro Leagues. But now it's the 1950s - his opportunity to play in the major leagues has passed and he's a garbage man. He struggles to provide for his family, trying to contain his bitterness as he seeks solace by spinning tales on his front porch. Because of his race Troy is left in a world where life's daily battles take on the scope of epic conflict. This Pulitzer Prize-winning classic by August Wilson, part of his renowned Century Cycle, introduces one of the truly unforgettable characters of the American stage to Long Wharf Theatre audiences.

The Consultant

By Heidi Schreck

Directed by Kip Fagan

January 8-February 9, 2014 - Stage II

World Premiere

After a series of brutal layoffs at Sutton, Feingold and McGrath, a precocious young consultant is brought in to save middle-aged adman's job, and maybe his life. This hilarious and keenly observed world premiere takes an intimate look at how money and work shape the human heart - and what we owe to others when everything around us is falling apart.

4000 Miles

By Amy Herzog

Directed by Eric Ting

February 19- March 16, 2014 - The Claire Tow Stage in the C. Newton Schenck III Theatre

Twenty-one-year-old Leo is lost. He has just biked 4,000 miles from California looking for life's answers and is now holed up in aGreenwich Village apartment living with his ninety-one-year-old grandmother, Vera. To his surprise, this is just what he needs as his feisty left-wing Grandma offers him a new perspective on the world. These unlikely roommates bicker and infuriate each other, but never lose their unquestioning love as they discover new ways to learn and grow together. "A funny, moving, altogether wonderful drama "- The New York Times

The Shadow of the Hummingbird

By Athol Fugard

Directed by Gordon Edelstein

World Premiere

March 26-April 27, 2014 - Stage II

Legendary playwright Athol Fugard returns to the stage for the first time in 15 years in his newest play. When Fugard's character is visited by his ten-year-old grandson (who is playing hooky from school) the two spend a memorable afternoon together. The boy reminds the old man of his lost sense of wonder, while the child is given a bit of hard-earned wisdom. In a charming meditation on the beauty and transience of the world around us, Fugard continues to mine the depths of the human spirit with profound empathy and heart. "The greatest active playwright in the English-speaking world" - TIME Magazine

The Last Five Years

Music and Lyrics by
Jason Robert Brown

May 7-June 1, 2014 - The Claire Tow Stage in the C. Newton Schenck III Theatre

Sparks fly when Jamie and Cathy first meet and fall desperately in love. They soon learn, however, as their careers head in very different directions, that happily ever after can be hard to find. This uniquely told musical filled with intimacy, honesty and humor features a lush and witty score. The couple tells their story from two different chronological points of view: Cathy begins at the end of their marriage and goes backwards to their first amazing date, while Jamie tells their story from the first stirring of their romance. Jason Robert Brown's Drama Desk Award-winning musical takes an emotionally powerful look at the joys and heartbreak of relationships in the Big City. "Exhilaration so intense it brings tears of joy... exciting, innovative and altogether inspiring" - Chicago Tribune

Photo Credit: Jennifer Broski

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