Casting Complete for Kushner's The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide at the Guthrie

Guthrie Director Joe Dowling today announced the complete cast and creative team for the theater's world premiere commission of The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner, under the direction of Tony- and Drama Desk-nominated Michael Greif (Broadway: Next to Normal, Rent, Grey Gardens). Performances begin May 15, with an official press opening on May 22, and continue through June 28 on the McGuire Proscenium Stage. 

The title of Tony Kushner's new play is inspired by two 19th-century thinkers and their works -- George Bernard Shaw's The Intelligent Woman's Guide to Socialism and Capitalism and Mary Baker Eddy's Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. The play looks at the life of a 20th-century thinker, retired longshoreman Gus Marcantonio (filmmaker, actor and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Michael Cristofer), who's feeling confused and defeated by the 21st century. In summer 2007, he invites his sister and his three children (who in turn bring along spouses, ex-spouses, lovers and more) to a most unusual family reunion in their Brooklyn brownstone.

With humor and passion, the play examines the importance of connectedness and belonging - to a family, a community, a group, an ideology, a marriage - and what happens when those connections are lost.

As previously announced, the Guthrie commission will feature original Angels in America cast members Kathleen Chalfant as Gus' sister Bennie and Stephen Spinella as his son Pill, alongside Homebody/Kabul original cast member Linda Emond as his daughter Empty, and Guthrie regular Ron Menzel as his son Vito. Broadway veteran Michael Potts (Broadway: Grey Gardens, Lennon) will portrays Pill's husband Paul Pierce, with Michael Esper (Broadway: A Man for All Seasons) playing Pill's lover Eli Wolcott. In addition, Guthrie regulars Mark Benninghofen (Empty's ex-husband Adam Butler), ChariTy Jones (Empty's lover Maeve) and Sun Mee Chomet (Vito's wife Sooze) and Michelle O'Neill also join the cast of the new work.

Joining Greif, the artistic staff for the Guthrie commission also includes Mark Wendland (Set Designer), Clint Ramos (Costume Designer), Kevin Adams (Lighting Designer), Ken Travis (Sound Designer), Michael Friedman (Music), Jo Holcomb (Dramaturgy), Elisa Carlson (Voice and Dialect Coach), Martha Kulig (Stage Manager), Chris A. Code (Assistant Stage Manager), Justin Hossle (Assistant Stage Manager) and David Alpert (Assistant Director).

The Guthrie Theater, founded in 1963, is an American center for theater performance, production, education and professional training. The Guthrie is dedicated to producing the great works of dramatic literature, developing the work of contemporary playwrights and cultivating the next generation of theater artists. Led by Director Joe Dowling since 1995, the Guthrie opened its new three-theater home on the banks of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis in June 2006.

The Guthrie is located at 818 South 2nd Street (at Chicago Avenue), in downtown Minneapolis. To purchase tickets or season subscriptions call the Guthrie Box Office at 612.377.2224 or toll-free 877.44.STAGE. For more information, or to purchase tickets online, visit www.guthrietheater.org.

The Kushner Celebration is made possible through the generosity of David and Shari Boehnen, The Bush Foundation, The Curtis L. Carlson Family Foundation, John & Sage Cowles, David & Vicky Cox, Fran & Barb Davis, Susan Engel & Arthur Eisenberg, William and Penny George and The George Family Foundation, Polly Grose, Kathy and Allen Lenzmeier, Mendon F. Schutt Family Fund of the Minneapolis Foundation, the Minnesota State Arts Board, Wendy Nelson, Louise Otten, the Ruth Easton Fund, The Harold & Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, Frances and Frank Wilkinson, and David A. Wilson and Michael J. Peterman.

Single tickets priced at $24 - $60

Tickets may be purchased online at www.guthrietheater.org.
Guthrie Box Office: 612.377.2224 or 877.44.STAGE
Box Office hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. (performance days)
11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (non-performance days)
Group Sales: 612.225.6244 or 877.225.6211

Performance Schedule: Tuesday through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.
Sundays at 7 p.m.

Matinees on selected Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 1 p.m.

ASL Performances
Friday, June 12 at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, June 18 at 7:30 p.m.

Audio Described Performances
Friday, June 5 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 6 at 1 p.m., sensory tour at 10:30 a.m.

Open Captioned Performance
Friday, June 20 at 7:30 p.m.

Post-Play Discussions
Sunday, May 17 (1 p.m. show)
Tuesday, May 19 (7:30 p.m. show)
Sunday, May 31 (1 p.m. show)
Saturday, June 6 (1 p.m. show)
Saturday, June 20 (1 p.m. show)

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.