Metropolitan Playhouse Debuts Brandt Johnson's GIVE AND GO, 2/11-2/27

Metropolitan Playhouse, devoted to plays of American moment, presents Give and Go: Learning from Losing to the Harlem Globetrotters, a one-man show by writer/performer (and one-time professional power forward) Brandt Johnson.

First presented at FringeNYC 2007, the revised Give and Go plays at Metropolitan's home at 220 E 4th Street, February 11 - 27, 2010.

Give and Go is Brandt Johnson's (semi-autobiographical) story of the ambitious and eager Billy Tyler, whose love of basketball and dogged discipline earn him positions on high school and college teams-and fail to get him a spot in the NBA. When he applies the same grit to Wall Street, the rewards are immediate, but the love is gone. Leaving a lucrative career in investment banking, he returns to bank shots and finds himself on a European tour playing against the Harlem Globetrotters, losing every game. But it is there he discovers that true success is not about winning; it's abouT Loving the game you play.

Give and Go played in an earlier version at the New York International Fringe Festival in 2007, and earned the following praise: "Johnson shows fantastic range with his many characters without losing entertaining similarities....As today's sports pages increasingly fill with ugly personal sagas...Billy's story restores regard for the athlete, as he demonstrates integrity and a willingness to learn lessons in his search for identity. Oh, and he has a sense of humor"-- nytheatre.com. Now re-written and newly conceived, the play is a proud premiere for Metropolitan's 18th Season, devoted to plays about Starting Over.

Author/Performer Brandt Johnson began his performing career as a child before taking a detour work as an investment banker and play on tour against the Harlem Globetrotters, and now pulls these disparate experiences together in Give and Go. He has appeared in numerous New York City productions, including Blue Light Theater Company's The Pitchfork Disney (Off-Broadway); Walt Disney's workshop of Hoopz, directed by Savion Glover and Kenny Leon; and the workshop of Joe Fearless (A Fan Dance) with Matthew Broderick and Rosie Perez.

The performance is directed by Ron Stetson, whose work has been seen at LaMama, Ensemble Studio Theatre, the Atlantic Theatre Company, Playwrights Horizons and the Kennedy Center. He is a member of both the Ensemble Studio Theatre and The Players, and teaches acting at The Neighborhood Playhouse.

The production features original music by Keith "Wild Child" Middleton, a performer with the Off-Broadway hit Stomp in New York and across the globe. Keith produces and performs with his rap group, Hydra, and composed for the Off-Broadway productions Spine and Joe Fearless (A Fan Dance).

Metropolitan Playhouse, known for exploring America's theatrical heritage, also features new plays of American cultural moment. Called an "indispensible East Village institution" by nytheatre.com, Metropolitan has earned accolades from The New York Times, The Village Voice, and Backstage for its ongoing productions that illuminate who we are by revealing where we have come from. Recent productions include Under the Gaslight, the Federal Theater Project's Power, It Pays to Advertise, Year One of the Empire, The Pioneer: 5 plays by Eugene O'Neill, Denial and The Melting Pot, as well as the new play series: Another Sky, Alphabet City and East Village Chronicles.

Give and Go opens Thursday, February 11 to run through Saturday, February 27. Show times are Thursdays through Saturdays at 8pm.

Tickets are $20 for general admission, $15 for students and seniors, and $10 for children under 18.

To purchase tickets online visit www.metropolitanplayhouse.org, or call The Playhouse at 212 995 5302.

Photo Credit: Andrew H. Walker