Ionescopade Off-Broadway Original Cast

Marking their year-long “Celebration of Off-Broadway," York presents a new look at this entertainment based on the works of the prolific and influential absurdist playwright Eugene Ionesco, famous for his plays The Bald Soprano, Rhinoceros, The Chairs and Exit the King (which recently enjoyed a hit revival on Broadway). Plays, playlets, and poetry by this master of the Absurd transport us into a zany musical vaudeville, where humor is the antidote to the world’s realities. Ionescopade, a musical vaudeville, premiered Off-Broadway in 1974, directed by Mr. Ackerman, and ran for almost a year at various theatres. It subsequently ran for over a year in Los Angeles directed by Mr. Castellino and has been seen around the world in various productions. In 1994 The York produced a reading featuring Ruby Dee and Barbara Feldon; the following year The Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. presented a revival starring Lilianne Montevecchi and Ron Holgate, which was also directed by Mr. Castellino. Critics referred to the original production as “one hell of an entertainment” that “snaps, crackles and spins across the stage like a Toulouse-Lautrec version of Hellzapoppin.”