Medicine Show Theatre Ensemble Presents DON JUAN IN HELL, Now thru 10/18

Medicine Show Theatre Ensemble, one of New York's longest-running experimental theatres, brings back its summer hit, George Bernard Shaw's Don Juan in Hell.

The back-by-popular-demand production will run from tonight, September 24 to Saturday, October 18, with performances on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. There are no performances on Mondays, Tuesdays or Thursdays. There will be one Sunday performance only, on October 12 at 6 p.m. The show runs two hours. The theatre is located at 549 W. 52nd Street, 3rd Floor, near 11th Ave., subway C/E 50th St.

Audiences raved about this production this past June and July, encouraging Medicine Show to re-stage it next week. Joe Lobell said, "The actors played brilliantly off of each other; they were in the kind of zone great jazz musicians get into." The production is a revival of Medicine Show's previous Don Juan in Hell which the Shaw Society called, "The best Don Juan in Hell ever." Famed actor/director Austin Pendleton described it, "The liveliest classic I've ever seen." Reviews ranged from "...an exhilarating evening" to "...for theatre lovers."

Though Shaw wrote the piece at the turn of the 20th century, it remains ahead of its time, as a hilarious indictment of hypocrisy, the "easy" life, and the human inclination toward making war. He crafted the work as Act III of his masterpiece Man and Superman, but it stands alone as its own play. It focuses on the legend of Don Juan, who famously courted the beautiful Doña Ana and killed her father, The Commander. As the play begins, they all meet in the underworld to join the devil in a very funny exploration of hell, heaven, life and virtue.

Once again, the show features Medicine Show artistic director and Obie-winner Barbara Vann as The Devil; Perri Yaniv, best ensemble winner for the Lin-Manuel Miranda-produced Vestments of the Gods at this summer's New York International Fringe Festival, as Don Juan; Sherese Parris as Doña Ana; and Clinton Powell as The Commander. The production will also highlight a rotating roster of acclaimed jazz musicians who will play throughout the performance and offer a free pre-show concert for early arrivers. They include Emmy-winner Joe Gallant, Billboard Critics' Choice winner Jorge Sylvester, and Emmy-nominated and New York Film Festival winner Keith Patchel.

This production is made possible in part by grants from The New York State Council on the Arts and the Leibowitz-Greenway Family Foundation. Tickets are $20.00 for general admission, $15.00 for seniors and students. They are available from Smarttix at www.Smarttix.com or (212) 868-4444. For more information, log onto the company's website at www.MedicineShowTheatre.org.

To post a comment, you must register and login.