Anthony Neilson's STICHING to Premiere in LA with Meital Dohan and John Ventimiglia

Adamanto Production and The Lillian Theater with Electric Pear Productions / Melanie Sylvan, Liebman Entertainment and Veronique Ory, Alex Zoppa, Cheryl Bianchi present the West Coast Premiere of STITCHING by award-winning and Scottish playwright Anthony Neilson (Royal Court Theatre's Relocated and Best Fringe Play 1997, The Censor). Following the sensational success of its New York run, the Los Angeles production of STITCHING, directed by Timothy Haskell (Ohio Theatre's The Jaded Assassin) and starring Meital Dohan (Showtime's "Weeds") and John Ventimiglia ("The Sopranos"), will begin previews at The Lillian Theater (1076 Lillian Way in Hollywood) on February 26, 2009 with the official press opening on Friday, March 6. The play is scheduled to run through April 5.

Stu (John Ventimiglia) and Abby (Meital Dohan) love each other so madly, they're driving each other crazy. STITCHING follows the dangerously dark and inventive games the couple play in order to connect. As they circle and test each other, they role-play with reality and fantasy to the point where even they don't seem sure what is real anymore. When Abby discovers she's pregnant, the choices they make will haunt them forever. The visceral poetry and physicality between the lovers creates a surprisingly tender, often humorous, brutal romance. STITCHING challenges the notions of modern romance in an increasingly complex world.

Playwright Anthony Neilson is part of the "In-Yer-Face Theatre" movement that is rocking Britain, where Stitching was a controversial hit. In January 2009, UK's The Stage magazine placed Neilson on their Top Ten Playwrights list. His plays include The Menu (National Theatre), Welfare My Lovely, Normal, Penetrator, The Years of the Family, Heredity, The Censor (winner of the Writers Guild Award for Best Fringe Play 1997), Amazing Feats of Loneliness, The Lying Kind (Royal Court), The Wonderful World of Dissocia. Neilson directed the UK premiere of the John Adams opera The Death of Klinghoffer for Edinburgh International Festival/Scottish Opera (Herald Angel Award). TV credits include "Deeper Still," "A Terrible Coldness," "Bible John." His new play Relocated, opened in March 2008 to rave reviews at London's Royal Court Theatre.

Director Timothy Haskell's credits include Road House (Barrow Street Theatre), I Love Paris (Blue Heron Arts Center), Fatal Attraction (Classic Stage Company) and The Jaded Assassin (Ohio Theatre). He is the creator and director of the haunted house franchise Nightmare, now approaching its sixth year in New York City, which opened in Miami, Florida in October 2008.

Meital Dohan was recently seen as "Yael Hoffman," the sexy rabbinical scholar, in the hit Showtime series "Weeds." She was born and raised in Israel, and graduated from Nissan Nativ, the country's prestigious acting school. She has starred in many theater, television and film productions. She earned Israeli Oscar nominations for her performances in Gods Sandbox (2002 Manchester Film Festival winner) and Giraffes (2003 Scottsdale Arizona Film Festival winner). Dohan had a starring comedy role in Ugliest Esti - the Israeli Ugly Betty, which won the Israeli Emmy for Best Comedy Series. Her theater credits include Best Friends at Israel's Cameri Theater, for which she won the Israeli Tony for Most Promising New Actress in 2000. Other credits include Romeo and Juliet (Juliet), and in 2002 she gave an award-winning performance in Bad Children - the role was written especially for her by the celebrated Israeli playwright Edna Mazya. Dohan co-wrote and starred in the hilarious downtown hit Bath Party at Here Theatre in NYC.

John Ventimiglia starred as "Artie Bucco" on the HBO television series "The Sopranos." He was recently seen on Broadway in Simon McBurney's production of All My Sons with Katie Holmes and John Lithgow. He has been in feature films such as Cop Land, Mickey Blue Eyes and the vampire comedy Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Undead, and has appeared in numerous television shows including "Law & Order" and "NYPD Blue."

Joining director Timothy Haskell, the creative team includes Garin Marschall (scenic designer), Louis Jacobs (costume designer), Matt Richter (lighting designer), Elspeth Weingarten (properties designer) and DaRon Murphy (composer and sound designer.

STITCHING premiered in Edinburgh in 2002. In June 2008, Adamanto Productions and Electric Pear Productions presented the United States Premiere of STITCHING at The Wild Project in New York City. The play originally opened with Meital Dohan as "Abby" and Gian Murray Gianinio as "Stu." New York Press said, "The role of Abby in Stitching is difficult to forget. Watching Dohan stumble through her nightmares . . . brands itself into the memory long after leaving the theater." Flavorpill wrote, "...rewards the audience by coming to a shocking, powerful conclusion. Like a modernized ‘Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'" HX said, "You're in for a tense and twisty night at the theater that you won't soon forget" and the New York Post wrote, "There's no shortage of sexual chemistry between them -it's hard to imagine anyone not having chemistry with the sultry Israeli actress Dohan." Due to popular demand, STITCHING extended its New York run with John Ventimiglia replacing Gianinio.

STITCHING will play at The Lillian Theater, 1076 Lillian Way in Hollywood. Performances begin February 26, 2009 and run through April 5, 2009 with the official press opening on Friday, March 6. Performance schedule is Thursday through Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 7:00 p.m. Tickets to STITCHING are $25.00 and are available by calling 323-962-7782 and online at www.StitchingThePlay.com.

 

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