WIESENTHAL Opens Tomorrow at The Acorn Theatre

Daryl Roth and Karyl Lynn Burns present the New York premiere of Wiesenthal, the award-winning play written by and starring Tom Dugan and directed by Jenny Sullivan. Wiesenthal plays at the Acorn Theatre at Theatre Row, (410 W. 42nd Street). Opening night is November 5.

Filled with hope, humanity and humor, Wiesenthal is the riveting true story of Simon Wiesenthal, an ordinary man who did extraordinary things. Nicknamed the "Jewish James Bond," he devoted his life to bringing more than 1,100 Nazi war criminals to justice. Intelligent, funny, flawed and noble, Wiesenthal was a true universal hero. His unbelievable dedication and tenacity over decades is honored in this play, which gives equal weight to his wisdom and wit during his long, purposeful life.

Comprising the design team for Wiesenthal is Tony Award winning scenic designer Beowulf Boritt (Act One at Lincoln Center Theatre, On The Town on Broadway, Obie Award recipient for Sustained Excellence in Scenic Design),costume designer Alex Jaeger (Two Sisters and a Piano atThe Public Theatre, Venus in Fur at ACT), lighting designer Joel E. Silver (Blue Man Group in Berlin, Tokio Confidential at Atlantic Stage), and sound designer Shane Rettig (When January Feels Like Summer at Ensemble Studio Theatre, Mourning Becomes Electra at the Acorn Theatre at Theatre Row).

"I am thrilled to make my New York debut with Wiesenthal," says Dugan. "My father was a WWII veteran who received The Bronze Battle Star and The Purple Heart. He liberated the Buchenwald Concentration Camp in 1945. Although I was raised Irish Catholic, I later married a Jewish woman, and now we are raising our two boys in the Jewish faith, so Simon Wiesenthal's message of tolerance has a deep resonance for me considering my father's place in Jewish history and my future in the Jewish community. Wiesenthal was a true and universal 20th Century hero as he not only fought for the rights of Jewish Holocaust victims, but Soviet, Polish, Gypsy, Jehovah's Witness and homosexual victims as well."

"Plays that engage, enlighten, and entertain audiences have always been part of my mission," says producer Daryl Roth. "Wiesenthal's story is a very significant part of our history, and I am honored to be sharing it this season."

Photo by Carol Rosegg