Kathy Najimy, Annette O’Toole and More Set for HERESY Off-Broadway
By: Kelsey Denette Sep. 05, 2012
The Flea Theater will present the limited Off-Broadway engagement of HERESY by A.R. Gurney, directed by Jim Simpson, featuring Kathy Najimy (Sister Act, King of the Hill, Veronica's Closet), Annette O'Toole (Smallville, Southern Comfort), Ariel Woodiwiss (Williamstown Theatre Festival), Reg E. Cathy (The Wire), Steve Mellor (Nixon's Nixon) and introducing Tommy Crawford and Danny Rivera, members of The Bats, The Flea's resident company of actors in their professional debut. Previews of this World Premiere begin September 29 with opening night slated for Thursday, October 11.
Says Gurney, "HERESY is a new look at an old story. But it's really about the American Dream and what happens when Americans are told by their president to go shopping in the face of unspeakable terror." And as only Gurney can – he puts a light touch on our darkest despair.
Set in the near future, Mary (played by Annette O'Toole) and Joseph (Stephen Mellor) have come to Homeland Security because their protesting son, Chris, has been taken into custody during the latest crackdown. They put their case before Pontius Pilate (Reg E. Cathy) in this timely comedy that Simpson calls "a sharp, funny, poke in the eye."
A.R. Gurney has been writing plays for over fifty years. Among them are: The Grand Manner, Scenes from American Life, The Dining Room, The Middle Ages, The Cocktail Hour, Love Letters, Sylvia, Far East, Ancestral Voices, Big Bill Indian Blood, Crazy Mary, Buffalo Gal and most recently Black Tie. At The Flea he has premiered Office Hours, Post Mortem, Screenplay, Mrs. Farnsworth, A Light Lunch and O Jerusalem. He has also written three novels, a few television scripts, several unproduced movies, and the librettos of two operas. Gurney is a member of the Theatre Hall of Fame and the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He has honorary degrees from Williams College and Buffalo State University, and taught literature at M.I.T. for many years.
HERESY will run September 29 – November 4, Tuesday – Saturday at 7pm, Saturday and Sunday at 3pm. Tickets are $45 Tuesday – Thursday and Sunday Matinees, $50 on Friday and Saturday nights, and $10 Saturday Matinees. Tuesdays are Pay What You Can, at the door only. The Flea is located at 41 White Street between Broadway and Church, three blocks south of Canal, close to the A/C/E, N/R/Q/W, 6, J/M/Z and 1 subway lines. Tickets are available by calling 212-352-3101 or online at www.theflea.org.
