THE MOTHERF**KER WITH THE HAT Begins 4/10 at the Kitchen Theatre Company

The Kitchen Theatre's 22nd Season continues with the regional premiere of Stephen Adly Guirgis's The Motherf**ker with the Hat. The play runs from April 10 to 28, with preview performances April 10, 11 and 12. Opening Night is April 13, and the closing performance is on April 28.

All extremes are hard to live with. Addiction is tough, and so is sobriety. When Jackie, a recent parolee struggling to keep his commitment to AA, bursts into his ladylove Veronica's apartment with a bouquet of flowers and the great news that he's landed a job, he is expecting an afternoon of high-on-life lovemaking. Veronica wants the attention and is ecstatic about him finding employment, but her slight hesitation starts a roller coaster ride that includes Jackie's sponsor Ralph D, Ralph's long-suffering wife Victoria, and Jackie's Cousin Julio, the only one who has buckled his seatbelt for the breakneck ride ahead.

If lying to ourselves is a norm, how can we ever get to the truth? And, if we really love, how distant an orbit is allowed for our lover? Stephen Adly Guirgis's outrageous comedy The Motherf**ker with the Hat is being produced all across the country, and audiences are laughing, crying, and wondering about their own self-delusions and secret truths.

The Kitchen Theatre Company has assembled an all-Equity cast of actors for this hilarious and powerful blockbuster theatrical experience. Directed by long-time KTC veteran Margarett Perry, the cast includes Karina Arroyave - TV watchers will know her as Jamey Farrell in the series "24" - as Veronica. Vaneik Echeverria, a versatile actor whose credits stretch from The Public Theater to the Shakespeare Theatre, plays Jackie. David Anzuelo (Cousin Julio) has been a member of the LAByrinth Theatre Company since 1992 and has been seen in numerous TV roles and films. He is a much sought after fight director and is directing the combat in this production. Dina Ann Comolli (Victoria) has been featured in many commercials and print advertising as well as NYC theater. And, returning to the KTC is Brandon Morris as Ralph D (Johnny in Frankie & Johnny in the Clair de Lune earlier this season).

"The theater is going to shake!" says Artistic Director, Rachel Lampert. "I cannot wait for the audience to encounter this extraordinary play and this cast of powerhouses."

The set design is by David Arsenault, lighting design by Tyler M. Perry, costume design by Lisa Boquist, sound design by KTC newcomer Ian Crawford and stage management by Jennifer Schilansky. Performances take place in the Kitchen Theatre, located at 417 W. State / Martin Luther King, Jr. Street in Ithaca's West End neighborhood, just three blocks from The Commons.

The Kitchen Theatre is grateful for the support of production Underwriter Travis Hyde Properties and Media Sponsor Syracuse New Times.

In conjunction with the Ithaca premiere of The Motherf**ker with the Hat, the Kitchen Theatre Company will present a number of ancillary events: free pre-show discussions with local experts on issues related to the play and post-show talk backs with the cast and director. On Thursday, April 18th, guest speakers William J. (Bill) Rusen, LMSW, CEO, Cayuga Addiction Recovery Services, and Laura Smith, LMSW, Outpatient Addictions Counselor will talk about "The Work of Transformation."

Talkbacks with the cast and director are scheduled for Friday, April 19th and Friday, April 26th. Please check our website for more events: www.kitchentheatre.org.