HUMOR ABUSE Opens At Philadelphia Theatre Company 9/25

Funny, magical, and moving, Lorenzo Pisoni's Humor Abuse is a tour-de-force journey through the photo album of his extraordinary life. A touching homage to his father, Humor Abuse opens Philadelphia Theatre Company's 2009/2010 season at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre. Co-written by Pisoni and Erica Schmidt, who also directs the piece, Humor Abuse runs September 25-October 25. Recently completing a hugely successful run at Manhattan Theatre Club, it was the recipient of every possible Off-Broadway award in the 2009 season: the OBIE, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Lucille Lortel.

Previews begin Friday, September 25 with opening night on Wednesday, September 30. Performances run Tuesday through Sunday until October 25. Tickets are $48-59, with discounts for students, seniors and groups. Tickets are available by calling the PTC Box Office at 215-985-0420 or visiting PhiladelphiaTheatreCompany.org. Philadelphia Theatre Company's Suzanne Roberts Theatre is located at Broad and Lombard Streets.

Some people dream of running away with the circus, but Lorenzo Pisoni couldn't escape it. Humor Abuse chronicles the story of Pisoni's unique childhood, growing up as the youngest member of San Francisco's Pickle Family Circus. Performing nightly with his brilliant but remote father, the play parallels their relationship both on and off stage, as the art of clowning and sleight of hand become universal metaphors for the promises, dreams and disappointments that lurk behind that red rubber nose.

Pickle Family Circus was founded in 1975 by Larry Pisoni and Peggy Snider (Lorenzo Pisoni's parents) and Cecil Mackinnon. The Pickle Family Circus helped stimulate the renewal of the American circus tradition, or New Circus Movement, also influencing the creation of Cirque du Soleil in Montreal. Clowns were always central to the Pickle performance, making multiple cameo appearances throughout the show and interacting with other artists, as well as having acts of their own. The original principle clowns were Larry Pisoni, Bill Irwin (Pisoni's godfather) and Geoff Hoyle.

"Humor Abuse was one of the most absorbing and original pieces of theater I have seen in quite some time," said Sara Garonzik, PTC's Producing Artistic Director. "My eyes never left the stage, and despite the unusual circumstances and the circus locale, Humor Abuse is a universal tale of a father and son relationship in all of its emotional complexity. We are truly delighted to work with Lorenzo and Erica in helping them to ‘open up' Humor Abuse for the stage, and launch it into what will surely be a bright future!"

Lorenzo Pisoni recently appeared on Broadway in Equus with Daniel Radcliffe and Richard Griffiths. He was part of the world premiere cast of Richard Greenberg's Injured Party at SCR Theater and in the Irish Repertory Theater's production of Devil's Disciple. He has received a Lucille Lortel nomination for Second Stage's production of Election Day and a Bay Area Critics nomination for The Gamester at American Conservatory Theater. Pisoni can currently be seen as ADA Willis on the ABC soap All My Children.

Pisoni began performing at the age of two in his parents' circus, The Pickle Family Circus. During his career as a circus performer he worked as a clown, juggler, aerialist, acrobat, and ringmaster in circuses throughout Asia, Europe and the US, including Cirque du Soleil. In 1999 he retired after 20 years as a circus performer and moved to New York City. He began working as an actor in his first professional job at Theatre for a New Audience's Troilus and Cressida directed by Sir Peter Hall. Since then, he has worked at Lincoln Center, The Public Theater, Second Stage, McCarter Theater, Seattle Repertory Theater, and The Guthrie Theater.

As a physical comedy choreographer, calling on his training as a clown, he has collaborated with Alan Arkin, Elaine May, Matthew Broderick, David Arquette and Bill Irwin for both theatre and film projects.

Philadelphia Theatre Company's season continues with the six-time Tony Award-winning Broadway musical The Light in the Piazza by Craig Lucas and Adam Guettel on November 13-December 6; the world premiere of Terrence McNally's Golden Age on January 22-February 14; the dark comedy thriller Mauritius by Theresa Rebeck on March 19-April 11; and August Wilson's first major play Ma Rainey's Black Bottom on May 21-June 13.

Philadelphia Theatre Company is Philadelphia's only not-for-profit professional theater dedicated exclusively to producing world and regional premieres of works by contemporary American Playwrights. Sara Garonzik has been the company's Producing Artistic Director since 1982, and in 2007, Diane Claussen became its Managing Director. Philadelphia Theatre Company continues to experience ever-increasing national impact, having produced 34 world premieres of new American plays and musicals in its 33 seasons. Recent world premiere productions include: Unusual Acts of Devotion by Terrence McNally; The Happiness Lecture by Bill Irwin; Nerds://A Musical Software Satire by Jordan Allen-Dutton, Erik Weiner, and HAl Goldberg; Some Men by Terrence McNally (later produced at the Second Stage); Adrift in Macao, a musical by Christopher Durang and Peter Melnick (produced at Primary Stages); Bruce Graham's According to Goldman; Jeffrey Hatcher's A Picasso (later produced at Manhattan Theatre Club); Daniel Stern's comedy Barbra's Wedding (moved to the Westside Arts Theatre in 2003); John Henry Redwood's No Niggers, No Jews, No Dogs (later produced at Primary Stages); J.T. Rogers' White People; David Ives' Lives of the Saints; three-time Tony Award-winning Master Class by Terrence McNally, starring Zoe Caldwell; Bunny Bunny by Alan Zweibel (Lucille Lortel Award, 1997); and the American premiere of Birdy by Naomi Wallace, among others.

Philadelphia Theatre Company has received numerous "Best Theater Company" citations from media sources such as the Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Magazine, Philadelphia Weekly, Philadelphia Style Magazine, and Philadelphia City Paper. Since 1995, Philadelphia Theatre Company has received 135 nominations and 36 awards from Philadelphia's Barrymore Awards.

PTC is in its third season in its new home, the Suzanne Roberts Theatre, designed by the award-winning firm of KieranTimberlake Associates LLP. This new state-of-the-art venue on Philadelphia's famed Avenue of the Arts was built as the result of an innovative partnership with Philadelphia developer Carl Dranoff. The project promotes the city's leading arts district both regionally and nationally and represents a model for civic development that capitalizes on the ability of the arts to reinvigorate urban districts for residential and commercial revival.

For further information on Philadelphia Theatre Company, call 215-985-0420 or visit PhiladelphiaTheatreCompany.org.

Photo credit Walter McBride

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