Photo Flash: First Look at THE HAIRY APE at Odyssey Theatre

Renowned British actor/writer/director Steven Berkoff directs a rare production of Eugene O'Neill's 1922 expressionist play THE HAIRY APE. The production opened on May 14 at West L.A.'s Odyssey Theatre, and BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

O'Neill's harrowing critique of class stratification is the story of Robert "Yank" Smith, a brutish ship laborer who searches for a sense of belonging in a world controlled by the wealthy elite. As head coal stoker on an ocean liner, Yank is in his element: he rules his dark, smoky world. But when the pale, spoiled daughter of the ship's owner visits the engine room for a thrill, she is at once repulsed and terrified by Yank and what she sees there. Half in love with the unattainable and half blinded by rage, the bewildered Yank blunders violently through Manhattan seeking revenge and trying to understand his place on "de oith."

THE HAIRY APE was first produced in 1922 by the Provincetown Players, a theatrical group co-founded by O'Neill. By this time, he was already an established playwright, having won two Pulitzer Prizes, but the expressionist style of THE HAIRY APE represented a departure for him. The New York Timescalled it "a bitter, brutal, wildly fantastic play of nightmare hue and nightmare distortion... so vital and interesting and teeming with life that those playgoers who let it escape them will be missing one of the real events of the year." The Hairy Ape's strong condemnation of the dehumanizing effects of industrialization made it appealing to many labor groups and unions, which seized upon its concepts to further their cause for better working conditions. In the years since its debut, the play has become recognized as a distinctive exploration of a pivotal period in American society.

The Odyssey production stars Hailé D'Alan (upcoming feature film Frozen Peas) as Yank and Irish actress Katy Davis as Mildred, a part she played in the Irish premiere at the Midsummer Festival in Cork. The ensemble features Laurence Olivier Award-winning actor Benjamin Davies as well as Dennis Gersten, Joseph Gilbert, Jeremiah O'Brian, Andres Paul Ramacho, Anthony Rutowicz, Paul Stanko and Jennifer Taub.

Set design is by Christopher Scott Murillo; lighting design is by Katelan Braymer; sound design is by Christopher Moscatiello and features percussionist Will Mahood; costume design is by Halei Parker; and prop design is by Chad Lieske. The stage manager is Savannah Harrow, andBeth Hogan produces for Odyssey Theatre Ensemble.

Performances of THE HAIRY APE run now through July 3, 2016. Tickets are $34 on Saturdays and Sundays; $30 on Fridays; and $25 on Wednesdays and Thursdays, with $25 tickets available for seniors and $15 tickets for students and members of SAG/AFTRA/AEA. The Odyssey Theatre is located at 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West Los Angeles, 90025. For reservations and information, call (310) 477-2055 or go to www.OdysseyTheatre.com.

Photo Credit: Enci Box (unless otherwise specified)

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