Mint Theater to Present NY Premiere of SUMP'N LIKE WINGS by Lynn Riggs

Mint Theater Company will present the New York Premiere of Sump'n Like Wings by Lynn Riggs, author of more than thirty plays including Green Grow the Lilacs, the basis for Rodgers & Hammerstein’s landmark musical Oklahoma! Written in 1925, Sump'n Like Wings was published in 1928. 

Raelle Myrick-Hodges directs.  Cast and creative team will be announced shortly. 

Mint will offer audiences the rare opportunity to see this 99-year-old play, which remains a resonant and compelling story about love, family and home. This Off-Broadway engagement at Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street) will begin September 21st for a limited run through November 2nd. Opening Night is set for Thursday October 10th.

“A good play often means different things to different people. As the father of a 16yr-old, for me Sump'n Like Wings is a play about parenting — I see that everywhere. You may see it as a play about growing up, or about friendship, or family, or about the need for independence or freedom — and the dangers that accompany both. Riggs has written a remarkable play about home. I’m grateful that we get to introduce it to you,” said Mint Artistic Director Jonathan Bank. 

"When I began looking into the production history of Sump’n Like Wings, all I could find were a few ‘squibs’ in the papers announcing that one producer or another had purchased an ‘option,’ but no production. I started to wonder if I might have another World Premiere on my hands, like Becomes A Woman (and others). My hopes were dashed when I confirmed that the play was performed for a single night by the Detroit Playhouse at the Institute of Arts, on November 27th 1931, then a year later, November 13th 1932, in Brussels (Quelque chose comme des Ailes). Three New York producers took out options on Sump'n Like Wings, but those options all lapsed without a production.  Until now!” 

Sump'n Like Wings is the story of Wille Baker, a 16-year-old girl too proud and too wild for the life she’s living. Her mother runs the dining room in the hotel her uncle owns. Willie is stuck helping her, squirming under her thumb while her uncle argues for tenderness and compassion. Sump’n Like Wings is a story of the lessons learned by families about freedom and limits — about love, respect, and safety. It’s a story about home and about leaving home.

Sump'n Like Wings is set in Oklahoma, six years after the Indian and Oklahoma Territories combined to become the 46th state in the Union in 1907. Lynn Riggs owes his lasting fame to the musical named after his home state, Oklahoma!, based on his acclaimed 1930 play Green Grows the Lilacs. 

Tickets for Sump’n Like Wings, which are on sale now, start at $39 and may be purchased online at Theatre Row Box Office.  Tickets may also be purchased by phone at 212/714-2442, ext. 45 (daily from 12 Noon to 5PM), or in person beginning August 5th at the Theatre Row Box Office (located at 410 West 42nd Street).  Service fees will apply for online or phone orders. Performances will be Tuesday through Saturday at 7PM, with matinees Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2PM. There will be no 7pm performances on 9/21, 9/25, 10/02, 10/11, 10/16, or 10/23.  Theatre Row, located at 410 West 42nd Street (between 9th & 10th Avenues), is a fully accessible venue: all bathrooms are accessible; there is an elevator to all floors; the bar and lounge are fully accessible; assisted listening devices are available.

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