The Storm Theatre and Blackfriars Repertory Theatre present "Divine Comedy," two heavenly one-act comedies directed by Storm Artistic Director Peter Dobbins, tonight, Sept. 30, through Oct 22, Grand Hall (at St. Mary's Parish), 440 Grand Street, New York, NY, for 16 performances. The co-production is part of an initiative to bring faith-based plays back to the New York Stage.
The show features "Saint Felix and His Potatoes," by Henri Brochet, a play about an attempted robbery, followed by "The Coach of The Holy Sacrament," by Prosper Mérimée, the comic, but true tale of the conflicted romance between an elderly Spanish Viceroy and a young actress in late 18th century Peru.
"Each play explores the concept of grace and how God's love works through even the least deserving of characters," said Dobbins. "And let's face it, we can all be the least deserving of characters, but these plays will remind people of the great drama of salvation in which we all have a part."
During the early 20th century, Henri Brochet, along with mentor Henri Gheon, created earthy, often comic, yet sublime new works for the French theater, modeled on the great works of Medieval Theater.
Prosper Mérimée was a French dramatist best known for his novella "Carmen," which became the basis of Bizet's opera of the same name. "The Coach of The Holy Sacrament" has inspired operas (Offenbach's "La Perichole"), movies (
Jean Renoir's "The Golden Coach"), and the 1928 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "The Bridge at San Luis Rey" by
Thornton Wilder.
The "Divine Comedy" ensemble features Dinh James Doan,
Meaghan Bloom Fluitt, Ian Geary, Kurt Kingsley, and Jose Sanchez, and Rev. Andrew O'Connor. The creative team includes
Peter R. Feuchtwanger (scenic design), Jeannipher Pacheco (costume design), Michael Abrams (lighting design), and Alex Santullo (sound design).
Performances begin Sept. 30, and run Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. with a special added performance Oct. 3, Saturday matinees at 2:00 p.m. on Oct 1, 8, 15 and 22. Press performances on Saturday, Oct. 1 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale now for $18 and can be purchased at SmartTix at 212-868-4444 or
www.smarttix.com.
The Storm Theatre is a faith-based off-off-broadway company committed to producing theater to awaken the awe-inspiring truths of humanity. Past productions include world premieres, established classics and forgotten theatrical treasures restored for today's audiences. Founded in 1997, the non-profit recently moved to a new performance space at Grand Hall (St. Mary's Church) on the lower east side of Manhattan. For more information, please visit www.stormtheatre.com.
Blackfriars Repertory Theatre carries on the illustrious theatrical heritage of the Dominican Friars in New York of the Province of St. Joseph. In 1940, Dominican Fathers Urban Nagle and
Thomas Carey founded and conducted the Blackfriars Guild: a national association of Catholic theater companies comprised of twenty-two chapters throughout the country. For more information, please visit
www.blackfriarsrep.com.
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