EastLine Theatre Brings Pulitzer Prize-Winning Comedy HARVEY To Lindenhurst

The classic comedy celebrating its 80th anniversary in 2024 makes a rare appearance on Long Island stages this August. EastLine Theatre will present Mary Chase's whimsical Pulitzer Prize winner, Harvey, about a man and his imaginary friend, a six foot tall rabbit, next month at the BACCA Arts Center in Lindenhurst. A film adaptation garnered multiple Academy Award nominations including one for Jimmy Stewart in 1950.

"Mary Chase's masterpiece is a sweet story of how we should all treat one another as human beings," says actor Frank DiSpigno, who takes on the role made famous by Stewart. "The mystical persona that is Elwood P. Dowd has been an idol of mine since my first time seeing the film as a young man. My dream to play the role has finally come true."

Performances will take place at the BACCA Arts Center in Lindenhurst starting on August 10th and running through the 25th. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at eastline.ludus.com. More information is available at eastlinetheatre.org or by calling 516-749-5047.

Harvey by Mary Chase is directed by Matt Rosenberg and presented by EastLine Theatre in partnership with the Babylon Citizens Council on the Arts. Costumes are by Wendy Pollak Grimm and Lyn Adler-Ciorciari, stage management is by Michael Devereaux. The cast of Harvey features Jess Abbotts, Dan Bellusci, Frank DiSpigno, Taylor Rae Dunn, Ron Kagel, Peter LaSpina, Jen LoPresti, Ted Moriates, and Jocelyn Weston.

"One of the boldest, bravest theatre companies on Long Island," according to Fire Island News, EastLine Theatre aims to create theatre in unlikely spaces while re-examining the canon, exploring modern plays, and bringing original works to the attention of the community.

EastLine returns to the BACCA Arts Center after a sold out run of The Diary of Anne Frank earlier this year. EastLine's production of Harvey is part of BACCA's 50th Anniversary Celebration. In recent years, EastLine has produced Prospero (Live!), an original musical based on The Tempest; the Long Island premiere of Paula Vogel's Indecent; a production of Treasure Island that BroadwayWorld said was "bursting at the seams with imagination"; and a production of In the Next Room by Sarah Ruhl that Long Island Theatre Scene said "raises the bar of creativity for all theaters." EastLine will return to Lindenhurst in December with the family classic Little Women, adapted by Kate Hamill.

To post a comment, you must register and login.