RED BULL THEATER today announced that the 2020-'21 Season will kick off on Monday, September 14th with the one night only benefit reunion reading of Red Bull's acclaimed production, The Revenger's Tragedy, featuring members of the cast of the 2005 Off-Broadway production: Jason C. Brown, Denis Butkus, Saudia Davis, Ryan Farley, Claire Lautier, Paul Niebanck, Petronia Paley, Naomi Peters, Matthew Rauch, Russell Salmon, and Yaegel Welch.
Cecil Baldwin,
Geraint Wyn Davies,
Ryan Garbayo,
Anthony Michael Martinez,
Howard Overshown,
Derek Smith, and
Chauncy Thomas will complete the cast. Please note that
Derek Smith will play the role of Lussurioso, replacing the previously announced
Marc Vietor.
The online reading will feature the company zooming in from wherever they are practicing social distancing, directed by Mr. Berger.
"I am absolutely thrilled to be creating this unique way to experience The Revenger's Tragedy with many of the artists who brought it to life with me in 2005 as Red Bull Theater's second production. The Revenger's Tragedy was written in a time of great social and political upheaval. And we're in a time that is very much like that. The play deals with vigilantism and a corrupt government with a dark, comedic touch. I think it has a lot to say about how to have a just society and how to seek justice in the world and not do it in an eye for an eye kind of way. To me, the play is about showing the ultimate nihilism of eye for an eye justice, the ultimate death spiral it would mean for our society," said Mr. Berger.
This event is designed to continue to serve Red Bull Theater's mission to revitalize the classics for today's audience during the uncertain time brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. This event will premiere LIVE at 7:30 PM on Monday, September 14th. A recording of the livestream will be available until 7:00 PM on Friday, September 18th - then it disappears - forever! The event's livestream will be available at Red Bull Theater's website (
RedBullTheater.com) and at
YouTube.com/RedBullTheater.
This online Benefit performance of The Revenger's Tragedy will feature original music composed by
Daniel Levy, visual & costume design by Tony Award winner
Clint Ramos & Rodrigo Muñoz, fight direction by
J. David Brimmer, and choreography by
Tracy Bersley.
The Revenger's Tragedy, a Jacobean thriller written a few years after Hamlet, is a searing examination of the need for justice and the desire for vengeance. Vindice, the "Revenger," sets off a chain reaction of havoc in a corrupt and decadent Venice which exposes outrageous indulgences and government hypocrisy and ends in a coup de théater massacre of epic proportions. Part black comedy, part social satire, the play is a gleefully macabre plot-twisting blender full of Shakespeare's greatest hits.
Red Bull Theater's production of The Revenger's Tragedy ran Off Broadway at
The Culture Project's 45 Below Theater for a seven week extended run, from November 2005 to January 2006.
Jesse Berger's adaptation of The Revenger's Tragedy is published by Dramatists Play Service. For information about the 2005-'06 production, visit
redbulltheater.com.
"We are living in difficult times. All of us at Red Bull Theater are dedicated to maintaining connection with our family of audiences and artists. We also look forward to forging new relationships with audiences far and wide through this online activity. While the theaters remain closed, we'll continue to offer unique ways to experience the classics in the digital space," said Mr. Bredeson.
Red Bull Theater's online readings offer the unique opportunity to hear rarely-produced classic plays, and brand new plays in conversation with the classics, performed by the finest actors in New York. This year's slate of readings is sure to delight audiences all season long as we await the reopening of theaters. This is a free event, but advance reservations are recommended. Red Bull Theater invites tax-deductible donations to support the vitality of classical theater for a contemporary audience. The suggested donation is $25 per viewer.
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