BWW Interviews: Lee Blessing, Playwright for A VIEW OF THE MOUNTAINS at NJ Rep

New Jersey Repertory Company (NJ Rep) will have the World Premiere of A View of the Mountains by renowned playwright, Lee Blessing. The show will run from April 24th through May 25th. Directed by Evan Bergman, the play explores how the current extreme political polarization in our society has come home to roost and threatens not only our nation but the intimate ties that bind families. Broadwayworld.com had the opportunity to interview Lee Blessing about his career the upcoming production in Long Branch.

Blessing currently resides in Los Angeles. His wife, Melanie Marnich is a television writer-producer who is currently works on a new Showtime series, "The Affair" which is due to premiere in October.

Blessing has received countless awards and accolades for his work including the L.A. Drama Critics Award and The Great American Play Award. He has been nominated for Tony and Olivier Awards and also for the Pulitzer Prize. Among his many plays are Broadway's, A Walk in the Woods, and the Off-Broadway shows, Thief River and Cobb.

We asked Blessing who have been some of the mentors for his impressive career. He spoke of his two biggest influences. "When I was at the University of Iowa getting my MFA my playwriting mentor was Oscar Brownstein, who later ran the graduate program at Yale. He was instrumental. Also, Lloyd Richards, with whom I worked repeatedly at the O'Neill National Playwrights Conference."

A View of the Mountains has a very timely message. Blessing commented about the play's inspiration. "I think the play was inspired by national campaign cycles more than anything. I was working on it just before the 2012 election, and the polarization of the electorate was rather stunning. Basically we've got two countries that don't know how to talk to each other--and may not have any desire to."

He also feels that the play is distinctive for him. He stated, "I've followed the life of one of my characters from one play into another. John Honeyman can now be seen not only in the middle of Reagan-era international tensions, but also much later as a family man and a concerned diplomat cast adrift in the current Mix-Master of contemporary domestic politics."

Blessing spoke about his experience with NJ Rep. "I truly enjoyed working with New Jersey Repertory Company a little over a decade ago when they world-premiered my lost play Whores. As the years have gone on, I see that Gabe and Suzanne have done an increasingly extraordinary job of world-premiering important new American work."

We asked Blessing what else he would like our BWW readers to know. He commented, "This play is certainly about the current take-no-prisoners tone of American politics, but it's also very much about the concept of family in our society. How these two spheres of experience interface is for me the heart of the play."

A View of the Mountains at New Jersey Repertory Company in Long Branch is showing from April 24th through May 25th on Thursdays and Fridays at 8pm; Saturdays at 3pm & 8pm; Sundays at 2pm and selected Sundays at 7pm from April 24th to May 25th. For tickets call 732-229-3166 or visit www.njrep.org.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of NJ Rep

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