Milwaukee Repertory Theater to Close 60th Season with THE HISTORY OF INVULNERABILITY

Milwaukee Repertory Theater concludes its 60th Anniversary Season with The History of Invulnerability, the play The Washingtonian says "leap[s] across an impressive array of thought-provoking issues in a single bound . . . a super achievement." The cast features Rep newcomers Bob Amaral, JJ Phillips and Greg Wood, as well as Rep Associate Artists Angela Iannone and Gerard Neugent, Rep Artistic Associate Michael Kroeker, guest actors Kelley Faulkner and Josh Landay, children's cast John Brotherhood, Luke Brotherhood and Max Pink as well as several members of The Rep's Artistic Ensemble. Written by playwright David Bar Katz, The History of Invulnerability will be directed by Rep Artistic Director Mark Clements. The Executive Producer for this production is Judy Hansen.

We all know that every superhero has an origin story, but perhaps no comic book lore is more famous than the Man of Steel - son of Jor-El and Lara, and hero to Metropolis. And yet, the real beginnings of Superman's creation are filled with controversy and doubt. From Tony Award and Emmy-nominee, David Bar Katz, comes the larger-than-life account of Jerry Siegel - the Jewish teenager who created Superman in the wake of World War II, sold his prized-possession for $130, and spent the rest of his life trying to bring Superman back home. Set in the mind of Jerry Siegel in the last 1 hour and 36 minutes of his life, an ensemble of actors will portray dozens of characters, as the heroics and heartbreak of 1930s Cleveland, New York and Krypton jump from the panels of comic book legend and come to life. The History of Invulnerability runs in the Quadracci Powerhouse April 8 - May 4, 2014 and opens on Saturday, April 12. (Please note special Saturday opening. Also this production is recommended for ages 16 and up due to mature themes and brief, modest nudity.)

"I've been hungry to produce History for several seasons. It requires particular technical skills, and we've now grown our capabilities such that we can successfully execute this intriguing exploration of the life of Jerry Siegel and his creation, Superman," says Artistic Director Mark Clements. "I am excited to build, with my wonderful creative team, a staging of this exciting new play that will equally appeal to theater-lovers and lovers of comic books and superheroes."

Clements continued: "There are so many elements of this play that captured my imagination. The writing itself is excellent - crisp, engaging, economical and deeply evocative. And the story itself - Jerry Siegel's struggle to gain recognition for the creation of Superman, framed by the biographic history of where the character and so many other superheroes emerged from - is moving, frustrating, inspiring, relevant, and most of all, surprising. It's a genuinely great story that people from all walks of life and areas of interest can find their way into."

"With our production of The History of Invulnerability, The Rep shows its commitment to new play development," added Managing Director Chad Bauman. "This production of History will be the play's third production. It will be the first time the play will be performed on such a grand scale - we're staging it in our Quadracci Powerhouse main stage 720-seat theater. Often in the creation of a new work, a play will need several productions to become fully realized. We are delighted to bring David Bar Katz's new play to Milwaukee audiences and are excited to be part of the creative process of bringing it to life."

The play premiered in the spring of 2010 at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. Since then, The History of Invulnerability has won the Acclaim Award for Outstanding Play of the Year as well as the Cincinnati Entertainment Award for Outstanding Premiere. In addition, Katz received the Harold and Mimi Steinberg/American Theatre Critics Association New Play Citation that recognized The History of Invulnerability as one of the top three American plays of 2010.