THE BALCONY
by Jean Genet.
Can it be that everything’s slipping away? Slipping between my fingers ?
MAY 16th -JUNE 2nd.
ACCESS Theatre 380 Broadway@ White Street.
In a continent on the brink of chaos the power figures struggle to keep their hold on power….
” Genet’s vision of society is both perverse and private, and his play is a species of Grand Guignol – arresting, horrific and trivial. “
Donald Malcom “The New Yorker”
DIRECTED by Rafael De Mussa
HORIZON THEATRE REP PRESENTS “THE BALCONY” BY JEAN GENET
Genet’s erotic world of political intrigue and violent revolution is set in United Europe searching for a new identity.
WHERE AND WHEN:
May 16 to June 2, 2013
The Access Theatre, 380 Broadway @ White Street (2 blocks South of Canal), 4 fl. (TriBeCa)
Subways: A, C, E, J, Z, N, Q, R, 6 to Canal St.
Presented by Horizon Theatre Rep (www.HTRonline.org)
Wednesday’s through Saturdays at 8:00 PM, Sundays at 3:0 PM
Tickets $18 (tdf); Box office: SMARTTIX (212) 868-4444 or www.smarttix.com
Running time: 1:55. CRITICS ARE INVITED on or after May 17.
NEW YORK, March 19 — In Horizon Theatre Rep’s new production of “The Balcony,” Genet’s erotic world of political intrigue and violent revolution is set in United Europe in search for a new identity. Directed by Rafael De Mussa, the production will take stage May 16 to June 2 at The Access Theatre, 380 Broadway in TriBeCa.
Inspired by recent events in the Eurozone, this interpretation takes us to a continent on the brink of chaos where authority figures struggle to keep their hold on things. Is their power reality or Illusion? Are we witnessing order or dissolution? The production has been created in anticipation of the upcoming elections to the European Parliament, which will be held in all member states of the European Union from May 22 to 25 (unless the Council acting unanimously decides to change the dates). It will be the eighth Europe-wide election to the European Parliament since the first direct elections in 1979.
On the set will be a TV set playing videos of current street scenes of the European monetary crisis. The trappings of power will be adapted from those of Genet’s era to more contemporary references, since in our time, power is indicated by glamorous, high fashion style in the media. So the bordello is restyled as a snazzy hotel suite (surroundings fit for the head of the International Monetary Fund, or a New York governor for that matter). The masoleum scene is informed by the classiest funeral ever held for a head of state: JFK’s. When Irma, the madam, transforms herself into a queen, there will be hints of the classic style of well-known contemporary English princesses. De Mussa says, “Our inspiration for The Balcony is the search for leadership in a globalized world which is itself searching for a new identity, and the trappings of politics and ambition. Who will lead Europe, and for that matter the USA, in the new century?”
With Francesco Andolfi, Carlotta Brentan, Alison Paula Campbell, Rafael De Mussa*, Carlo Giuliano*,Matt Gottlieb, Shuhei Kinoshita,Ines Lucas, Jon Okabayashi, Jacopo Rampini, Kimmie Solomon, Maria Wolf*, and Zoe Watkins.
Lights by John Wilder, set design by Joseph Kremer, sound design by Jon Bremner, and costume design by Amanda
Equity Approved Showcase. *Member of Actors Equity Association.
Horizon Theatre Rep (http://www.htronline.org), led by Rafael De Mussa, endeavors to find a contemporary idiom to express early and mid-20th century ideas and to bridge the generation gap.It also strives to give emerging artists “the opportunity to take risks, to excel, and to make their mark.
Reserve your tickets now !
