August Strindberg Repertory Theatre to Present PARIAH, THE STRONGER, and ABU CASEM'S SLIPPERS in Alternating Rep

August Strindberg Repertory Theatre, under the leadership of Robert Greer, is committed to production of his plays in new translations and interpretations that illuminate the plays of Sweden's national playwright, whose work remains as relevant today as when they were written. The company continues its explorations November 12 to December 3 at Gene Frankel Theatre, 24 Bond Street, presenting a double-bill of two-character plays -- "Pariah" and "The Stronger" -- in alternating rep with with Strindberg's Arabian Nights play, "Abu Casem's Slippers."

"Pariah and The Stronger" will be directed by Robert Greer, Artistic Director of the troupe, in an evening that showcases two of Strindberg's most compelling one-acts of suspicion and discovery. "Pariah" (1888) is a blackmail scenario between an Swedish archaeologist (Mr. X) and an American entomologist (Mr. Y). In a dark room with a thunderstorm brewing, the Mr. Y attempts to blackmail Mr. X over an accidental killing he had committed years ago, only to have the tables turned in a diabolical battle of wits. The play presages the intellectual chess games of 20th century detective stories and crime novels. "The Stronger" (also 1889) is a well-known, spellbinding short drama for two actresses, one of whom speaks (Mrs. X), the other doesn't (Ms. Y). The former concludes over the course of a half hour that the latter is her husband's lover.

"Pariah," a play that is seldom done is English, has been adapted by the cast from the original 1913 translation by Edwin Björkman. "The Stronger" is newly translated and adapted by Robert Greer. Explaining the concept of the evening, Greer says, "Both plays have a crime novel element--somebody has a nasty, naughty secret. I couldn't resist pairing them." He has cast both plays with a Caucasian actor and an African-American actor. "Pariah" features Jarde Jacobs as Mr. X and Michael Bernstein as Mr. Y. The adaptation is played in the year of its writing, 1888, but the setting of rural Sweden is changed to the hills of Northern California with Mr. Y, the archeologist, re-imagined as one of the first Black Americans to achieve a doctoral degree. "The Stronger" is cast with African-American actress Chudney Sykes and red-headed actress Amber Crawford, who will exchange roles night-by-night. The play is re-set into contemporary Hollywood. In one performance, Sunday, November 13, Jarde Jacobs will perform the non-speaking Ms. Y as Mr. Y.

This evening of two short plays will be performed in rotating rep with Strindberg's full-length fairy play, "Abu Casem's Slippers," a rendition of a famous tale of Arabian Nights that Strindberg meant "for children of all ages." Directed by Janet Bentley, this production is the world premiere of an exceptional verse translation by Anne-Charlotte Hanes Harvey. Robert Greer describes MS. Harvey as "the best translator of Swedish dramatic literature ever to have lived." Strindberg wrote the play in uncounted iambs, a literary form that he claimed was used by Shakespeare "when he wearied of counting that tiresome pentameter on his fingers" and strayed into free verse. Dazzlingly, in her translation, Harvey captures Strindberg's meter in English. The play had a staged reading in 2003 at the August Strindberg Society of Los Angeles and has hitherto only been performed in German and Swedish.

The play is the story of a miserly merchant, Abu Casem, who is cured of avarice by hardships he must endure when his shoes are exchanged with the slippers of the Cadi. Strindberg enlarges the tale with a charming love story involving three young people: Abu Casem's daughter, who fears to love; a Prince who pines for her, and Casem's errand boy who is catalytic to many of the plot twists. The play centers on the moral of the Arabian Nights story: a happy outcome in which a miser, unlike Moliere's iconic one, is actually redeemed. The love story, which Strindberg added to the tale, has led to psychosexual interpretations of the piece that are among the most extreme examples of biographical criticism of the author. "Abu Casem's Slippers" was written in 1908, during the first flush of Strindberg's love for the young actress Fanny Falkner. It has been seen as the work of an adorer with a new faith in love, but with his old reservations about sexuality still intact. A mischievous monkey in the play is claimed to symbolize the sexual urge, which obstinately reappears despite repeated attempts to get rid of him. Despite these Freudian interpretations, the play is quite suitable for children and is recommended for ages eight to 88.

Director Janet Bentley writes, "Strindberg wrote the play as a gift to his six-year old daughter. It adds a father/daughter relationship to the Arabian Nights tale that seems to connect to Strindberg's own life in a way that seeks reconciliation with his past. Casem is freed from the slippers, which symbolize toxic habits; his daughter is purged of her evil dreams that bar her from opening herself to love. We have seen many tales of betrayal and cynicism in Strindberg's plays, but 'Abu Casem's Slippers' is a journey to the tender time, the time of youth, the time of potential before things go wrong. This is a play of redemption and hope. It is one of his final works and is a fitting epilogue to a canon often rife with pain."

Since the stories of Arabian Nights came from India to Persia, Ms. Bentley resolved to cast the play with middle easterners as much as possible. The actors are Mary Tierney, Kevin Vavasseur, Oliver Conant, Pooya Mohseni, Jaya Tripathi, Marcos Sotomayor, John Cencio Burgos and Laksh Midha.

Robert Greer's translation of "The Stronger" is dedicated to Viveca Lindfors, who performed its American premiere on a double bill with Strindberg's "Miss Julie" at the Phoenix Theatre in 1956.

Robert Greer (director of "Pariah" and "The Stronger," translator of "The Stronger") is founding director of August Strindberg Rep, for which he has directed eight Strindberg plays to-date. He has stagEd English-language premières of numerous contemporary Scandinavian playwrights, including Sweden's MariAnne Goldman, Helena Sigander, Cecilia Sidenbladh, Oravsky and Larsen, Hans Hederberg, Margareta Garpe and Kristina Lugn; Denmark's Stig Dalager and Norway's Edvard Rønning. He has also directed classics by Victoria Benedictsson, Laura Kieler, Anne Charlotte Leffler and Amalie Skram. His productions have been presented at the Strindberg Museum and Strindberg Festival, Stockholm; Edinburgh and NY Fringe Festivals, Barnard College, Columbia University, Rutgers, UCLA; Miranda, Pulse and Theater Row Theaters, La MaMa, Manhattan Theatre Source, Tribeca Lab, Synchronicity, TSI, BargeMusic; and The Duplex in LA. He has also directed plays by Mario Fratti, Sartre and Corneille here in New York. He is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, Actors' Equity; the Strindberg Society, the Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study and Swedish Translators in North America.

Janet Bentley (director of "Abu Casem's Slippers") is a director and dramaturg. She holds an MFA in dramaturgy from the University of Iowa, a BA in theatre from the University of South Florida, and has trained in piano, dance, voice (opera and musical theatre) and acting. She is a frequent director for Nylon Fusion Theatre Company and has also staged productions at Theater for the New City, FringeNYC 2016, Planet Connections Theatre Festivity 2014 and 2016, T. Schreiber Studio and Emma's Attic Productions at Titusville (FL)Playhouse, among others. For August Strindberg Rep's "To Damascus, Part II," she co-designed sound and video, co-composed original music with Andy Evan Cohen and created original paintings and hand-drawn images for animation.

"Abu Casem's Slippers", "Pariah" and "The Stronger" all have set design by You-Shin Chen, costume design by Jessa-Raye Court, lighting design by Gilbert Pearto and original music by Andy Evan Cohen.

"Pariah and The Stronger" will play Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 PM, Saturdays at 8:00 PM and Sundays at 4:00 PM. "Abu Casem's Slippers" will play Wednesdays at 7:30 PM, Fridays at 8:00 PM, Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00 PM. No performances Tuesday, November 15, or Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 24. Tickets to both shows are $18 general admission; $12 seniors and students. Student group tickets are $9. To buy tickets, call SMARTTIX at 212-868-4444 or go to www.smarttix.com. The August Strindberg Rep website is www.strindbergrep.com.

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