Hampton Theatre Company to Present 4000 MILES

"4000 Miles," Amy Herzog's gently comic drama that won the Obie Award for Best New American Play and was a finalist for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize, will be the second play of the Hampton Theatre Company's 2016-2017 season, opening on January 12, 2017 at the Quogue Community Hall and running through January 29.

In "4000 Miles," Herzog creates a truthful and touching portrait of the often contentious but finally loving relationship between a crusty, old-style lefty grandmother, Vera Joseph, and her rudderless, new-style lefty grandson, Leo Joseph-Connell.

The play opens with Leo's impromptu 3 a.m. arrival at his grandmother's Greenwich Village apartment, baggage-laden bike in tow. As a reluctant overnight stay turns into weeks and the story behind his arrival is revealed, the two unlikely roommates infuriate, bewilder, and ultimately reach each other.

The Pulitzer Prize citation for "4000 Miles" described the play as "a drama that shows acute understanding of human idiosyncrasy." Robert Simonson, in a Playbill article on the Pulitzer finalist, noted that critics found the "naturalistic tapestry" of this "gentle, warm drama ... touching, compassionate and authentically felt."

"4000 Miles" premiered Off-Broadway in a three-week run at the Duke Theater in June 2011 and then ran Off-Broadway for three months at the Mitzi E. Newhouse at Lincoln Center starting in March 2012.

"Herzog unravels the details slowly, with uncommon narrative skill," the reviewer for Time magazine wrote. "Everything about '4000 Miles' seems fresh, particularized, plausible." The review also characterized the play as "the family drama that really sticks with you, easily the best play of the season."

Writing about an Australian production in the Sydney Morning Herald, John Shand wrote: "If your heart is sick or just needs warming, go and see this play. If you are a baby boomer who doesn't understand your grandchildren or are from Gen Y and, like, really weirded out by your grandparents, go and see this play. If you simply love theatre, go and see this play."

The cast of "4000 Miles" features three Hampton Theatre Company veterans and one newcomer. Playing Vera Joseph is HTC artistic director Diana Marbury, last seen as Grandma Kurnitz in the 2016 production of "Lost in Yonkers." Ben Schnickel, last on the HTC stage in the roles of Jim, Tom and Kenneth in "Clybourne Park in 2015," has the role of her grandson Leo.

Amanda Griemsmann, who appeared most recently as Nina in the 2016 HTC production of "Vanya, Sonia, Masha and Spike," play's Leo's on-again-off-again girlfriend BeC. Newcomer Samantha Herrera, a graduate of The Neighborhood Playhouse, plays Amanda, a girl Leo brings home from a bar.

In addition to "4000 Miles," Amy Herzog's plays include: "After the Revolution"; "The Great God Pan"; and "Belleville." Among her numerous awards and honors are the Whiting Writers Award and the New York Times Outstanding Playwright Award. She is a Usual Suspect at New York Theatre Workshop.

HTC Executive Director Sarah Hunnewell directs. Set design is by Sean Marbury; lighting design by Sebastian Paczynski; and costumes by Teresa Lebrun.

"4000 Miles" runs at the Quogue Community Hall from January 12 to January 29, 2017 with shows on Thursdays and Fridays at 7, Saturdays at 8 and Sundays at 2:30. There will also be an additional matinee performance of "4000 Miles" on Saturday, January 28, at 2:30 p.m. prior to the regular 8 p.m. evening performance.

The Hampton Theatre Company will again be offering special dinner and theater packages in collaboration with the Westhampton, Southampton, Hampton Bays and Quogue libraries. Information about the dinner and theater packages is available at www.hamptontheatre.org, or through the libraries.

New this season, the HTC is offering $15 discount tickets for audience members 35 and under. For more information or to reserve tickets, visit www.hamptontheatre.org, or call OvationTix at 1-866-811-4111.

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