Kristine Nielsen News

'Acting is reacting,' says many a teacher of the craft, and if they're right then Christopher Durang has handed his leading lady, Laura Benanti, a career's worth of reasons to react in his surreal cavalcade, Why Torture Is Wrong And The People Who Love Them. A meta-theatrical farce disguised as a satire of America's war on terrorism (with a brief lesson about taking control of your life and a somewhat romantic conclusion for those who require such things) Why... is top-shelf Durang lunacy and Benanti, making a rare non-musical appearance, proves herself a wonderful everywoman foil.

Start with a wonderful dark comedy from 1942, director Ernst Lubitsch's To Be Or Not To Be, which starred Jack Benny and Carol Lombard as the married, spotlight-hogging stars of a theatre troupe in Nazi occupied Warsaw who wind up using their acting skills to play a part in the Polish resistance,…

Today's Broadway Blogs on BroadwayWorld.com from Monday, April 13, 2009.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Andrew D. Hamingson) will extend Christopher Durang?s WHY TORTURE IS WRONG, AND THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE THEM, directed by Nicholas Martin, through Sunday, May 3. The world premiere comedy recently opened to rave reviews.

Christopher Durang's comedy WHY TORTURE IS WRONG, AND THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE THEM opened at The Public Theater on Monday April 6. This world premiere, directed by Nicholas Martin, began previews March 24 and will run through April 26.

Laura Benanti is relishing the relish the challenge of 'being the not-crazy person in a crazy world.' Benanti stars in the new Christopher Durang comedy WHY TORTURE IS WRONG, AND THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE THEM, which opened on Monday.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Andrew D. Hamingson) began previews on Tuesday, March 24 for Christopher Durang's comedy WHY TORTURE IS WRONG, AND THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE THEM. This world premiere, directed by Nicholas Martin, will run through April 26 with an official press opening on Monday, April 6 at 7 PM.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Andrew D. Hamingson) began previews on Tuesday, March 24 for Christopher Durang's comedy WHY TORTURE IS WRONG, AND THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE THEM. This world premiere, directed by Nicholas Martin, will run through April 26 with an official press opening on Monday, April 6 at 7 PM.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Andrew D. Hamingson) will begin previews on Tuesday, March 24 for Christopher Durang's comedy WHY TORTURE IS WRONG, AND THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE THEM. This world premiere, directed by Nicholas Martin, will run through April 26 with an official press opening on Monday, April 6 at 7 PM.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Andrew D. Hamingson) announced complete casting today for Christopher Durang's WHY TORTURE IS WRONG, AND THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE THEM. Laura Benanti, Audrie Neenan, and Richard Poe will join the previously announced Amir Arison, David Aaron Baker, Kristine Nielsen, and John Pankow in this world premiere comedy, directed by Nicholas Martin. WHY TORTURE IS WRONG, AND THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE THEM begins previews on March 24 and runs through April 26 with an official press opening on Monday, April 6 at 7 PM.

Kate Burton gives a glowing performance as the formidable Miss Moffat in this Huntington Theatre restaging of the Emlyn Williams classic

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Andrew D. Hamingson) announced initial casting for Christopher Durang's WHY TORTURE IS WRONG, AND THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE THEM and Craig Lucas's THE SINGING FOREST. Nicholas Martin will direct Why Torture Is Wrong... with a cast of seven that includes Amir Arison, David Aaron Baker, Kristine Nielsen and John Pankow. Mark Wing-Davey will direct a cast of nine that includes Academy Award winner Olympia Dukakis in The Singing Forest. The cast for Why Torture Is Wrong..., which runs March 24 to April 26, will include Amir Arison (Queens Boulevard at Signature), David Aaron Baker (Dead Man's Cell Phone at Playwrights Horizons), Kristine Nielsen (Crazy Mary at Playwrights Horizons), and John Pankow (The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie at The New Group). Early casting for The Singing Forest, running April 7 to May 17, will feature Olympia Dukakis (Academy Award winner for Moonstruck) as Loe Reiman. Ms. Dukakis' New York stage credits include the Encores! production of 70, Girls, 70, Barra Grant's A Mother, A Daughter and a Gun, Social Security directed by Mike Nichols, Rose (Outer Critics Award and Drama Desk nom.), Who's Who in Hell, The Aspern Papers, Night of the Iguana, Christopher Durang's The Marriage of Bette and Boo (Obie Award), Sam Shepard's Curse of the Starving Class, Peer Gynt, Titus Andronicus, Electra, Vaclav Havel's Memorandum, Brecht's A Man's a Man (Obie Award), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and A View From the Bridge (Theatre World Award).

It has been announced that MTC's production of TO BE OR NOT TO BE will play its final performance on November 16th, 2008. November 16th, 2008 is the end of Manhattan Theater Club's subscription run. They had previously been offering tickets through November 23rd, 2008, but will now be canceling that week of performances. Patrons who have purchased tickets for performances through November 23rd, 2008 should return to their point of purchase for a refund.

It has been announced that MTC's production of TO BE OR NOT TO BE will play its final performance on November 16th, 2008. November 16th, 2008 is the end of Manhattan Theater Club's subscription run. They had previously been offering tickets through November 23rd, 2008, but will now be canceling that week of performances. Patrons who have purchased tickets for performances through November 23rd, 2008 should return to their point of purchase for a refund.

The Manhattan Theatre Club (Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director;Barry Grove, Executive Producer) world premiere production of Nick Whitby's 'To Be or Not To Be' officially opened on Broadway on Tuesday October 14th. BroadwayWorld's cameras were there to capture the cast as they arrived at Planet Hollywood to celebrate after the curtain came down!

The Manhattan Theatre Club (Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director; Barry Grove, Executive Producer) world premiere production of Nick Whitby's 'To Be or Not To Be' officially opened on Broadway last night, Tuesday October 14th. BroadwayWorld's cameras were there to capture the star-studded red carpet arrivals.

The Manhattan Theatre Club (Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director; Barry Grove, Executive Producer)world premiere production of Nick Whitby's 'To Be or Not To Be' opens on Broadway tonight, Tuesday October 14th.

Manhattan Theatre Club (Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director; Barry Grove, Executive Producer) will celebrate opening night for their upcoming world premiere production of Nick Whitby's TO BE OR NOT TO BE. The play, based on the 1942 motion picture To Be or Not To Be, is directed by three-time Tony Awardâ nominee Casey Nicholaw (The Drowsy Chaperone, Monty Python's Spamalot).

Manhattan Theatre Club is pleased to announce guests and dates for After Words, the popular discussion series at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (261 West 47th Street). The series begins its third season on Saturday, September 20 following the matinee performance of TO BE OR NOT TO BE with J. Hoberman, film critic for The Village Voice, and Foster Hirsch, professor of film at Brooklyn College. The discussion will be moderated by Lisa McNulty, MTC's Associate Director of Artistic Operations.

Manhattan Theatre Club (Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director; Barry Grove, Executive Producer)postponed the first preview of Nick Whitby's TO BE OR NOT TO BE. First preview now tonight, 9/13