Tony Winner Frank Galati Helms RHINOCEROS at Asolo Rep

Asolo Repertory Theatre continues its rep season with Eugène Ionesco's RHINOCEROS. It is directed by two-time Tony Award-winner Frank Galati, who, with the support of the Ionesco estate, has streamlined the script from the original three acts to two, making it more relevant to today's audience. The satirical comic masterpiece previews February 7 and 8, opens February 9 and runs in rotating repertory through April 14 in the Mertz Theatre, located in the FSU Center for the Performing Arts.

A farce, a tragedy, a brilliant experiment for the mind, RHINOCEROS is both a wildly fresh satire and a poetic reminder of the consequences of following the herd. In a quaint French village, the townspeople are mysteriously and inexplicably transforming. One by one, they are forced to confront their own humanity, morality, and individuality. A master of absurdist theatre, Ionesco penned RHINOCEROS in the aftermath of World War II, and its exploration of the dangers of conforming and losing one's voice remain just as poignant and powerful today as ever.

"I am always intrigued by what production will spark Frank Galati's genius imagination each season, and was thrilled when we landed on the rarely seen RHINOCEROS, " said Asolo Rep Producing Artistic Director Michael Donald Edwards. "The magic of this piece is that it is just as believable as it is ludicrous, just as chilling as it is humorous. Ionesco allows the audience to escape reality in order to see the world in a brand new way."

Asolo Rep Associate Artist Frank Galati helms this newly imagined production. One of today's foremost American theater artists, Galati received two Tony Awards for adapting and directing The Grapes of Wrath. He was subsequently nominated for a Tony Award for his triumphant direction of Ragtime. Galati was also nominated for an Academy Award® for his screenplay (with Lawrence Kasdan) of The Accidental Tourist. At Asolo Rep he directed Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Both Your Houses, 1776, My Fair Lady, Twelve Angry Men, and more.

"In streamlining the script, it was my goal to make the play land with a contemporary audience," said Director Frank Galati. "I hope that this swift new production will galvanize our audiences and bring renewed interest in this brilliant, timely play and in Ionesco's value in the history of world theatre."

David Breitbarth leads the cast as the apathetic and disheveled Berenger, a disgruntled office worker with a drinking problem. Breitbarth, who also plays Burbage in Shakespeare in Love at Asolo Rep this season, has appeared in more than 75 productions at Asolo Rep. Matt DeCaro, who played President LBJ in The Great Society at Asolo Rep last season, plays Gene. DeCaro also plays Tilney/Sir Robert de Lesseps in Shakespeare in Love. Laura Rook plays Daisy, Berenger's love interest. Rook also portrays Viola de Lesseps in Shakespeare in Love.

RHINOCEROS features Brandon Dahlquist (Wessex in Shakespeare in Love) as Botard, Matthew McGee (Lambert/Wabash in Shakespeare in Love) as Café Owner/Mr. Papillion, Matt Mueller (Kit Marlowe in Shakespeare in Love) as Dudard, and Peggy Roeder (Queen Elizabeth in Shakespeare in Love) as Mrs. Boeuf. The cast also featuresDustin Babin, Andrew Bosworth, Christopher Carlson, Anthony J. Hamilton, Amy Helms, Nolan Fitzgerald Hennelly and Amber Lageman.

Tickets for RHINOCEROS and the entire 2017-18 Asolo Repertory Theatre season are on sale now. Tickets for RHINOCEROS start at $27.

To purchase tickets, call 941.351.8000 or 800.361.8388, visit www.asolorep.org, or visit the Asolo Repertory Theatre Box Office, located in the lobby of the theatre. Asolo Repertory Theatre is located at 5555 North Tamiami Trail in the Florida State University Center for the Performing Arts.

The Box Office is open Monday 10am - 5pm, Tuesday - Thursday 10am - 7:30pm, Friday - Saturday 10am - 8pm, and Sunday 10am - 2pm. The box office closes at 5pm when there are no evening performances and phone lines close one hour prior to the start of any performance. Season subscription packages are also available online and by visiting or calling the box office.

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