THE PEOPLE VERSUS LENNY BRUCE to Return to New York
The staged reading will feature Johnny Anthony as Lenny Bruce and Jack Wetherall, known for THE ELEPHANT MAN on Broadway, as civil liberties attorney Martin Garbus.
Susan Charlotte's play, directed by Antony Marsellis and based on a case involving legendary civil liberties attorney Martin Garbus, will be presented at the Society for Ethical Culture, followed by a talkback and reception.
Following a successful Off-Broadway run at Theatre Row, Cause Célèbre Productions and the Society for Ethical Culture will present a staged reading of The People Versus Lenny Bruce on Friday, October 30, at 2:00 PM at the New York Society for Ethical Culture in Manhattan.
Written by award-winning playwright Susan Charlotte, founder and Artistic Director of Cause Célèbre Productions, and directed by Antony Marsellis, the play revisits a landmark battle over freedom of expression in America - one whose implications remain remarkably relevant today.
Johnny Anthony returns as Lenny Bruce, with Jack Wetherall, who starred in the title role of The Elephant Man on Broadway, portraying civil liberties attorney Martin Garbus. The cast also includes Timothy Doyle, Dan Grimaldi, Ian Lithgow and Roberta Wallach, returning from the production's Off-Broadway run.
The reading will be followed by a talkback featuring Martin Garbus and former NYPD Deputy Chief Michael Osgood, and a reception.
At a time when comedians, journalists, artists and public figures are once again confronting questions about censorship, political pressure and the boundaries of permissible speech, The People Versus Lenny Bruce offers a timely look at an earlier struggle over who gets to decide what can be said in public.
Bruce's provocative performances and repeated arrests made him a central figure in the fight for free expression. His battles with authorities raised fundamental questions about the First Amendment, artistic freedom and the government's power to police language and ideas. More than six decades later, those questions continue to shape public debate.
The reading is part of All the Court's a Stage, Cause Célèbre's trilogy of plays inspired by cases from Martin Garbus's extraordinary career defending civil liberties and constitutional rights. Each production is followed by a conversation connecting the events portrayed onstage with issues facing society today.
The series opened in September with Last Chance Café, exploring racial injustice and voting rights in the Jim Crow South, and will conclude in January 2027 with Unlucky Gal: The Story of Jane Doe.
THE PEOPLE VERSUS Lenny Bruce
- Friday, October 30, 2026 | 2:00 PM
- New York Society for Ethical Culture
- 2 West 64th Street, New York, NY
- Staged reading followed by a talkback and reception.
- Tickets: Purchase tickets on Eventbrite
- Website: causecelebreproductions.org
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