John Ball's IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT Opens 3/19 at 59E59 Theaters

59E59 Theaters presents the World Premiere of John Ball'S IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT, adapted by Matt Pelfrey and directed by Joe Tantalo.

It's 1962. A hot August night lies heavy over the small town of Argo, Alabama. A dead white man is discovered and the local police arrest a black stranger named Virgil Tibbs. The police discover that their prime suspect is in fact a homicide detective from California. As it happens, Tibbs becomes the racially tense community's single hope in solving a brutal murder that is turning up no witnesses, no motives and no clues.

Written in 1965, the novel was the first in the Virgil Tibbs series of mysteries. The novel served as a window into the segregated South during the height of the Civil Rights Movement. It was subsequently turned into a film in 1967, starring Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger. The film won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and is considered a landmark of American cinema. In 1988, it inspired a television series starring Carroll O'Connor and Howard Rollins. It ran on NBC for five seasons, then moved to CBS where it aired for an additional three. In the pilot episode, Virgil Tibbs is persuaded to join the police force after he returns to town following the death of his mother.

John Ball'S IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT performs at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Madison and Park). It begins previews on Friday, March 19 for a limited engagement through Sunday, April 25. The performance schedule is Tuesday & Wednesday at 7:30 PM, Thursday & Friday at 8:30 PM; Saturday at 2:30 PM and 8:30 PM; Sunday at 3:30 PM. The regular ticket price is $25 ($17.50 for 59E59 Members). 

For more information, visit http://www.59E59.org/