Lamb Pond Productions Presents 'Duet for One' To Benefit Multiple Sclerosis

LAMB POND PRODUCTIONS in association with PAMELA FROST is pleased to announce its production of "DUET FOR ONE" by TOM KEMPINSKI, directed by RAE RITKE and featuring ANNA POND and DAVID LAMBERTON, to benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. The production previews Thursday, September 4 at 8 p.m., and opens Friday, September 5 at 8 p.m. Performances continue Saturday, September 6 and Sunday, September 7 at 2 p.m., with a gala performance on Saturday, September 6 at 7:30 p.m., which will be followed by a talk-back and a wine and cheese reception. Tickets are $18 for the September 4 and 5 performances, $30 for the September 6 and 7 matinees, and $60 for the September 6 gala performance, and can be purchased online at www.ticketcentral.org or by phone at (212) 279-4200. Discounted tickets for senior citizens and students with ID will be available for $10 for all performances and TDF is accepted. No discounts are available for the gala on Saturday, September 6th. THE LION THEATRE at Theatre Row is located at 410 W. 42nd Street and is handicap-accessible.

Stephanie Abrahams, world-renowned violinist, has been cut off by Multiple Sclerosis in the prime of her career from the accomplishments and adulation that gave meaning to her life. Despairing but powerfully resistant, she agrees to consult Dr. Feldmann, the psychiatrist with whom she struggles to preserve her bitterness as he struggles to overcome it. Their intense encounters constitute the difficult and dramatic journey towards renewal that is at the heart of "DUET FOR ONE."

Written by British playwright TOM KEMPINSKI, "DUET FOR ONE," was first performed in London's West End in 1980, starring his wife Frances de la Tour and David De Keyser, and then performed on Broadway at the Royale Theater in 1981, starring Anne Bancroft and Max von Sydow. In 1986, the play was made into a film with Julie Andrews, Max von Sydow, Alan Bates and Liam Neeson.

Director RAE RITKE graduated with a B.A. in philosophy from Wheaton College and an MFA from American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. Her work as a director includes theatre in Los Angeles, Chicago, and an original one-woman show titled BLAME IT ON BARBIE in Santa Fe, NM. Her most recent work, LITTLE JOURNEY, which she wrote and directed, was produced at Theatre Row in 2007.

ANNA POND ("Stephanie Abrahams") holds degrees from both Yale and Harvard and spent five years in Los Angeles as a member of the award-winning City Garage theater company, performing in a range of classical to contemporary productions. Her New York theater credits include Wilson's THE MOUND BUILDERS and Martin's PICASSO AT LAPIN AGILE at The Sackett Group; and Johnson's BRILLIANT TRACES, Aristophane's LYSISTRATA, and Durang's DURANG DURANG at the Michael Chekhov Theatre Company, where she has been a member since 2006.

DAVID LAMBERTON ("Dr. Feldmann") New York credits include original roles in LITTLE JOURNEY, THE GERMANS IN PARIS, THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV, THE METAMORPHOSIS FROM KAFKA, and productions of BALM IN GILEAD (40th Anniversary production), MACBETH, OTHELLO, and THE LION IN WINTER. He also played Laertes in a tour of HAMLET in Ukraine that included the Anton Chekhov Theatre, and Boolie opposite Tony-winner Peg Murray in DRIVING MISS DAISY.

The production is intended to raise the public's awareness of the emotional and psychological complexities that people living with multiple sclerosis and those closest to them face. All profits from the run will be donated to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and LAMB POND PRODUCTIONS in association with PAMELA FROST will host a post-performance discussion with the guidance of professionals in the field after the Saturday, September 6th performance. The speakers will be Fred D. Lublin, M.D. and Jennifer Finkel, M.D. from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

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