Photo Flash: KNOCK IT OFF!: A FARCE At Theater For The New City

What do you get when you combine a corrupt gynecologist, plastic surgery look-a-likes, a lascivious surgeon, a jittery liberal engaged to a staunch conservative, a flighty receptionist, a mysterious man hired for his sexual dexterity and a forgetful Holocaust survivor? You get Knock It Off!, a new farce debuting at Theater for the New City starting May 2nd.

Karen Lynn Gorney, star of the movie "Saturday Night Fever" and "All My Children" joins the cast as Eyphah along with Peter Zachari, Lori Funk, Joey Mirabile, Nora Falk, Scott Ahearn, Amandina Altomare and BRIAN ANTHONY SIMMONS.

Four years ago playwright Peter Zachari mounted the first version of this play, which was titled, Under the Knife. "When I originally presented this show we set the farce in modern day but it always felt like it could work in a different time period," says Zachari. "Dr. Katz is a disgraceful gynecologist who will do anything for a buck so I thought, 'What if we set it in 1973 when the abortion debate was swirling and the play opens on the day of the Roe v. Wade announcement?' Now Katz has been secretly and illegally performing abortions for cash under the table and is dreading the Supreme Court decision. If it passes no one will come to him anymore because he is such a horrible gynecologist. Well, it does pass and his life just snowballs downhill as every possible financial event that could possibly hit a man does."

Once the selection of 1973 was made everything fell into place. "1973 is very reflective of the mood of today. Political unrest, women's rights, abortion debate, a controversial president," says the playwright. "We can have a lot of fun commenting on this time period and let the audience realize the more things change the more they stay the same."

Rest assured there is much zaniness to be had with this five-door farce. Because he is broke Katz is forced to lease out two offices in his practice. One to a pair of plastic surgeons and the other to a dentist. What he doesn't know is that one of the plastic surgeons is Marcia, his ex-wife and the dentist is his long-time mistress, Deidre who looks exactly like Marcia after undergoing plastic surgery. (Unbeknownst to her!) Marcia wants her alimony; Deidre wants to find her long-lost child. Both are expecting financial help from Thomas, who is dead broke. Enter Budd, Thomas and Marcia's son, who arrives to ask his father to pay for a wedding to marry Bernadette, a pro-life activist. And that's all in the first fifteen minutes!

The play opens May 2nd at Theater for the New City, 155 1stAvenue and runs until May 19th. Written and Directed by Peter Zachari. TICKETS: http://www.theaterforthenewcity.net or call (212) 254-1109. Tickets are $18 general admission, $12 students and seniors.

Photo Credit: Isabella Tan

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