DELIKATESSEN To Open In Albuquerque Before Possible New York City Run

The play, DeliKateSSen which playwright Richard Atkins describes as a psychological thriller with Holocaust elements is having a limited run at the VSA North Fourth Art Center (4904 4th. St., N.W.) in Albuquerque, the first two weekends before Thanksgiving.

The cast includes: Ray Orley, Salome Martinez Lutz, Annelise Wall, Richard Atkins, Scott Claunch, Cheryl Atkins, Harry Zimmerman and Justin Raper.

DeliKateSSen opens at a Manhattan deli on the eve of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre. David and Yossi Shapiro are orphaned brothers and survivors of Auschwitz-Monowitz (the labor camp at Auschwitz) who own Shapiro's, a struggling landmark delicatessen. Their delivery man has been viciously attacked in an anti-semitic hate crime. Across the street, a new German delicatessen and biergarten is preparing to open its doors. Suppressed traumas from Auschwitz reawaken and David, the older brother, yields to an "eye for an eye" vendetta and secretly employs a Nazi hunter to investigate the restaurateur across the street. We watch as an explosion of friction and paranoia (probably justified) affects everyone involved. There is a cast of eight.

The play was a finalist for Abingdon Theatre's Christopher Brian Wolk playwriting award and has been produced in three prior productions around the country to sold out houses and excellent reviews. Throughout its evolution, critics have applauded its insight on how the sins of the Third Reich irrevocably affect Holocaust survivors and their descendants.

On September 24th, a successful, New York City reading, directed by Law and Order producer/director Matthew Penn was held at the Dramatists Guild in anticipation of a New York City opening. Serious talks are underway to make that a reality, so stay tuned.

Evening performances: November 15, 16, 22 and 23 at 8 p.m.

Matinees: November 16, 17, 23 and 24 at 2 p.m.

Tickets: delikatessen.bpt.me or www.delikatessen-theplay.com