Retro Productions To Present A Revival Of Eric Overmyer's ON THE VERGE (OR THE GEOGRAPHY OF YEARNING)

Three intrepid Victorian women explorers travel through time in Retro Productions revival of Eric Overmyer's play On the Verge (or the Geography of Yearning).

Retro will put their own unique spin on the comedy that follows Mary, Alex and Fanny as they travel into the future and discover a world that is beyond anything they could imagine. The epic journey takes them through the jungle, over ice cliffs and right up to an Esso station in 1950's America where their greatest adventures await - including their first encounter with Cool Whip.

On the Verge premiered in 1985 at Baltimore's Center Stage, in 1987 it was produced off-Broadway at the John Houseman Theatre, and went on to play regional theaters across America. Sara Thigpen who was awarded the 2019 New York Innovative Theatre Award (NYITA) for Outstanding Director, directs. Opening night is slated for Friday, September 9 at the Gene Frankel Theatre.

On the Verge: or The Geography of Yearning is a whimsical and funny look at how mores, language, and technology changed over the first half of the 20th Century. It is the fantastical journey of three lady explorers from 1888 who, while traveling in Terra Incognita, find themselves traversing time, and end up in 1955 America. Along the way they meet strange and wondrous characters, learn slang, experience artifacts from the future, and debate the appropriateness of a lady wearing pants.

Artistic Director Heather E. Cunningham shared her thoughts on the production, "I first encountered On the Verge in 1989. I loved the humor and absurdity of it, as well as its vision of early to mid-century America. When I started considering what to do after Covid-19 shut us down in 2020 (which would have been our 15th Anniversary season!), I knew I wanted to do a comedy, because laughter is the best medicine - but I also wanted something we could do safely, which meant a play with a small cast. That's when I knew I wanted to present the play I fell in love with over three decades ago."

The cast features Kelsea Baker (Rule of 7x7/The Tank), Heather E. Cunningham (White on White/Hoi Polloi - NYTimes Critics Pick), William Franke (The Country House/Morningside Players), and Felicia J. Hudson (Blast Radius/Gideon Productions).

The creative team includes set design by Jeff Stander, costume design by Ben Philipp (2022 Emmy nomination for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), lighting design by kia rogers (winner of 2 NYITA for outstanding lighting design), and sound design by Robert A.K. Gonyo.

On the Verge runs September 9 - 24 with performances running Thursday - Saturday at 8pm, Sundays at 3pm, with additional performances on Monday September 12 at 8pm and Wednesday, September 21 at 8pm. Running time: 1:40 minutes. The Gene Frankel Theatre is located at 24 Bond Street (Between Lafayette & Bowery), New York, NY 10012. Subways: 6 to Bleecker Street, B/D/F/M to Broadway/Lafayette. Tickets are $22 students/seniors, and $25 for general admission.

Since its inception in 2005, Retro Productions has been Nominated for 34 New York Innovative Theater Awards including the 2017 recipient of the Caffe Cino Fellowship Award. Retro's mission is to present works of retro theater, plays that take place in the recent past. The company focuses on telling good theatrical stories which have an historical perspective - with an emphasis on the 20th century - in order to broaden our own understanding of the world we live in. www.retroproductions.org

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