TO BE OR NOT TO BE : : THE AMERICAN PLAN : : ACCENT ON YOUTH
ROMANTIC POETRY : : RUINED : : BACK BACK BACK

TO BE OR NOT TO BE
A world-premiere play.
By Nick Whitby
Based on the motion picture To Be or Not To Be
Directed by Casey Nicholaw
Previews begin September 16, 2008
Subscription run ends November 16, 2008

At the Polski Theatre in 1939 Warsaw, famed stage couple Josef and Maria Tura are about to open yet another smash with their theatrical troupe. As the German invasion gets underway, the theatre is closed by the censors, forcing the troupe to face desperate times. But when a handsome young bomber pilot enlists their help to catch a spy, what is a group of actors to do? This hilarious black comedy is an ingenious commentary on the World War II era and an inspired tribute to the timeless joys of the theatre. Directing is Casey Nicholaw, the three-time Tony®-nominated director of The Drowsy Chaperone and choreographer of Spamalot. The cast includes Peter Benson, Robert Dorfman, Steve Kazee, Peter Maloney, Jan Maxwell, Michael McCarty, Kristine Nielsen, Brandon Perler, David Rasche, Rocco Sisto, Jimmy Smagula and Marina Squerciati.

THE AMERICAN PLAN
A Broadway premiere.
By Richard Greenberg
Directed by David Grindley
Previews begin January 2, 2009
Subscription run ends March 8, 2009

An exciting new look at an early, acclaimed play by the Tony Award-winning author of Take Me Out. It is the Catskill Mountains in the early 1960s, and Lily Adler and her mother Eva are spending the summer across the lake from a bustling hotel where comics entertain and buffets overflow. When a handsome young stranger enters their world, the emotionally fragile Lily finds herself falling in love. But once her imperious mother learns of their relationship, lies are exposed, alliances are forged and Lily's one chance to escape her mother's control may be lost forever. Playwright Richard Greenberg continues his long association with MTC where his other New York premieres have included The Violet Hour, Three Days of Rain and Eastern Standard. The cast includes Lily Rabe and Mercedes Ruehl.

ACCENT ON YOUTH
A new production of a comic gem.
By Samson Raphaelson
Directed by Daniel Sullivan
Previews begin April 7, 2009
Subscription run ends June 14, 2009
 
David Hyde Pierce heads the cast in this rollicking salute to love’s possibilities, both on stage and off. Successful playwright Stephen Gaye (Pierce) is about to abandon his latest script, when his young secretary offers him new inspiration. With her as his muse, he stages the show on Broadway, only to learn, to his dismay, that the show’s young leading man is being inspired by her too. In this fresh look at Samson Raphaelson’s brilliantly clever comedy, the Tony Award-winning actor of Curtains and Spamalot returns to MTC under the direction of Tony Award winner Daniel Sullivan (MTC’s Proof and Rabbit Hole). The cast also includes Charles Kimbrough.

ROMANTIC POETRY
A world-premiere musical.
Book & Lyrics by John Patrick Shanley
Music by Henry Krieger
Directed by John Patrick Shanley
Previews begin September 30, 2008 · STAGE I
Subscription run ends December 7, 2008

From the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Doubt and the two-time Tony-nominated composer of Dreamgirls comes this crackpot musical romance. Connie of Woodmere has just married Fred of Newark, but her exes are back in the picture and not sure they approve of the union. Mary of Greenpoint climbs Frankie of Little Italy's fire escape with amorous erotic intent - but things go awry as she reaches for her dream. They are all mad and they are all sane and they are all creating Romantic Poetry. Genuine emotion and the excitement of living an ideal crisscross like a night of shooting stars. When you have the Academy Award-winning author of Moonstruck writing the book and lyrics, and the two-time Grammy-winning composer of Dreamgirls collaborating, you know something delicious is coming from the kitchen. The cast includes Jeb Brown, Jerry Dixon, Ivan Hernandez, Mark Linn-Baker, Patina Miller and Emily Swallow.

RUINED
A world-premiere co-production
with the Goodman Theatre.
By Lynn Nottage
Directed by Kate Whoriskey
Previews begin January 21, 2009 · STAGE I
Subscription run ends March 29, 2009

From the Obie Award-winning author of such plays as Fabulation and Intimate Apparel comes this haunting, probing work about the resilience of the human spirit during times of war. Set in a small mining town in Democratic Republic of Congo, this powerful play follows Mama Nadi, a shrewd businesswoman in a land torn apart by civil war. But is she protecting or profiting by the women she shelters? How far will she go to survive? Can a price be placed on a human life? Directing is Kate Whoriskey, who staged Ms. Nottage’s Fabulation at Playwrights Horizons. The cast includes Quincy Tyler Bernstine, Cherise Boothe, Chris Chalk, Saidah Arrika Ekulona, William Jackson Harper, Chiké Johnson, Russell G. Jones, Kevin Mambo, Tom Mardirosian and Condola Rashad.

BACK BACK BACK
A timely new play.
By Itamar Moses
Directed by Daniel Aukin
Previews begin October 30, 2008 · STAGE II
Subscription run ends January 4, 2009

Does greatness always come with a price? Can only someone with nothing to lose tell the whole truth? From the acclaimed writer of last season’s MTC Stage II hit The Four of Us and Bach at Leipzig comes a stirring new drama about America’s favorite pastime. Back Back Back follows the turbulent careers of three very different teammates in baseball’s steroid era whose clubhouse secrets bring them under federal scrutiny. Directed by Daniel Aukin, formerly the Artistic Director of Soho Rep, this New York premiere reveals a riveting portrait of pressure, paranoia and payback in professional sports. The cast includes Jeremy Davidson, James Martinez and Michael Mosley.

One more play to be announced for Stage II.

* Formerly known as the Biltmore Theatre.