Playwrights Horizions & Primary Stages Extend THE CALL Through 5/26

Playwrights Horizons (Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director) and Primary Stages (Casey Childs, Founder & Executive Producer; Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director; Elliot Fox, Managing Director) have announced an extension of their World Premiere co-production of The Call, a new play by Tanya Barfield (Blue Door at Playwrights Horizons/PH). The limited engagement at Playwrights Horizons' Peter Jay Sharp Theater (416 West 42nd Street) will now run through Sunday, May 26. Directed by two-time Obie Award winner Leigh Silverman (Go Back to Where You Are and Blue Door at PH; Hunting and Gathering at Primary Stages/PS; Golden Child, Chinglish, Well, In the Wake), The Call reunites Ms. Barfield and Ms. Silverman, who previously collaborated on the Playwrights Horizons production of Blue Door in 2006.

Receiving acclaim from both audiences and critics alike, The New York Times describes The Call as "thoughtful and engrossing" with "smart, natural, sparkling dialogue by Tanya Barfield," and "incisively directed by Leigh Silverman. Kerry Butler gives a nuanced and affecting performance." Elisabeth Vincentelli of the New York Post says The Call is "ripped from the headlines. A fine production." Jennifer Farrar of the Associated Press calls the production "touching, intelligent, tart and grounded." In describing the cast, she calls Eisa Davis "simmering and sharp," Kelly AuCoin "innately charming," Russell G. Jones "wonderfully moving," and Crystal A. Dickinson "fiercely funny."

The cast of The Call features Kelly AuCoin (Happy Now?, Boy, The Two of Us at PS, Radiance, Julius Caesar), Tony Award nominee Kerry Butler (Xanadu, Gore Vidal's The Best Man, Catch Me If You Can, Hairspray), Obie Award winner Eisa Davis (This at PH, Luck of the Irish, Passing Strange, "Damages"), Theatre World Award winner Crystal A. Dickinson (Clybourne Park at PH and Broadway, Ruined, Broke-ology) and Obie Award and Screen Actors Guild Award winner Russell G. Jones (Our Lady of 121st Street, Ruined, Traffic, "Smash").

When Annie (Ms. Butler) and Peter (Mr. AuCoin) decide to adopt, they come to set their sights on a child from Africa. But when the reality of this choice sinks in, it opens a well of uncertainty that speaks to their very identity as White Americans. Politically-charged and tack-sharp, The Call is a startling portrait of cultural divide, casting global issues into the heart of an American home.

The production features scenic design by Rachel Hauck, costume design by Emily Rebholz, lighting design by Matt Frey and sound design by Jill BC DuBoff. Production Stage Manager is Vanessa Coakley.

The performance schedule for The Call is Tuesdays through Fridays at 7:30 PM, Saturdays at 2 & 7:30 PM and Sundays at 2 & 7PM, with additional Wednesday matinee performances on April 24 at 2PM and May 1 at 2PM. Single tickets, $60 with some premium seats available at $72, may be purchased online via www.TicketCentral.com, by phone at (212) 279-4200 (Noon-8pm daily), via Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PlaywrightsHorizons or in person at the Ticket Central Box Office, 416 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues), open noon-8pm daily.

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