Executive Producers Roy Nevans and John Lant, in association with Edmund Gaynes, have announced the extention of 2 By Tennessee Williams: 27 WAGONS FULL OF COTTON starring Kathryn Luce Garfunkel and KINGDOM OF EARTH. Both plays are directed by Marilyn Fried and will run now through October 1st. Alexis Cruz ("Touched by an Angel," "Stargate") also joins the company.
The production which opened July 15 run Fridays at 8:00 pm and Sundays at 7:30 pm and Saturday, October 1st at 8:00 pm.
St. Luke's Theatre is located at 308 West 46th Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues). Tickets are $39.50-$59.50. Premium seats are $99.00. Tickets can be purchased through Telecharge.com or by calling (212) 239-6200. For more information, visit
www.twobytennessee.com.
In 27 WAGONS FULL OF COTTON, after Jake, a shady, middle-aged cotton gin owner, burns down rival Silva Vicarro's mill, Vicarro attempts to enact vengeance by seducing Flora, Jake's choice, delectable wife. 27 Wagons Full of Cotton was later developed into a full length movie: "Baby Doll." As was typical of the times "Baby Doll" represented a more sanitized version of Flora. 27 Wagons of Full of Cotton was one of
Tennessee Williams' most important one-act plays. Flora, the woman child, is very much a predecessor to Williams' Blanche, and the relationship between Flora and Jake foreshadows the brutal relationship between Stanley Kowalski and Stella that Williams would later author. Glass Menagerie's Laura also has many similarities to Flora. It has been rarely staged since its original stage debut, despite the fact it is one of Williams' most beloved one act plays. Featuring
Kathryn Luce Garfunkel,
Mike Keller and Alexis Cruz.
In KINGDOM OF EARTH, a flood is surging in the Mississippi Delta, and Chicken's property is only safe until old man Sikes down the road dynamites his levee to save himself. While Chicken waits alone in his kitchen for the inevitable blast, he receives an unexpected visit from his dying half-brother, Lot, and Lot's wife of but one day, Myrtle. Leaving Lot upstairs to rest, Chicken assesses Myrtle as a potential threat to his inheritance of the estate, currently under Lot's name. Chicken and Myrtle find common ground but not even footing in their similar experiences of the inescapable hardness of the world - two "lost, sinful, puzzled" souls falling into a familiar power dynamic and bracing themselves as the waters rise. Kingdom of Earth began as a short-story and was later adapted to a one-act play. It was later adapted into a full, seven act play, and performed on Broadway. In 1970, it was adapted into a movie by
Gore Vidal, called "Last of the Mobile Hot Shots". It is one of Williams' darkest one-acts, very much reflecting his own complicated relationship with his mother and siblings. Featuring
Judy Jerome,
Mike Keller and Alexis Cruz.
A native of Minnesota,
Kathryn Luce Garfunkel's affinity for the female characters of
Tennessee Williams and
William Inge have led to performances of Willie in This Property Is Condemned and Suddenly Last Summer (with
Joan Copeland). Other theatre credits include The Fantastiks, Company and Twelfth Night. Kathryn screen appearances include "Jack of All Trades", "Mrs. Mortimer's Gift", and "Punitive Articles." Some of her notable television appearances include the host of ABC Television's "In Concert", Disney Channel's "
Art Garfunkel Across America" and MTV's Dance Video. An accomplished soprano vocalist, Kathryn's concert performances include cabaret acts at Birdland, Guild Hall, and
Steve McGraw's "Triad". She has toured the world with her husband Art, performing with him as a co-vocalist at the White House, and as a back-up vocalist at
Carnegie Hall, Buckingham Palace, and the London Palladium. She is the recipient of the 2009 White Lily Peace Award in Japan from Daisaku Ikeda, President of Soka Gakkai International.
Mike Keller was last seen at Hartford Stage in
Christopher Shinn's play An Opening in Time, and as "Carl" in It's Just Sex at The Actor's Temple. Other NY stage credits include, Godforsaken by
Lyle Kessler, and References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot, as "Coyote." TV credits: "Daredevil ", "Unforgettable ", "Mysteries of Laura ", "30 Rock ". Film: "Girl Most Likely", "Body", and "How to be a Man".
Judy Jerome is a native New Yorker. She is a lifetime member of
The Actors Studio, and proud member of the unions Actor's Equity and SAG/AFTRA. She recently performed in the staged reading of the new play, Church and State by
Jason Odell Williams at The Cell Theater. You can see her in the award winning indie film, "Cost Of A Soul," available on Amazon. Favorite roles: Lisa in Collected Stories, Lori in Baltimore in Black and White, and Lady Booby in Joseph Andrews. She is excited to be co creator of the tv series in development, "Tick Tock". Check out
www.ticktockseries.com to find out more.
Alexis Cruz is an actor, writer, director, and producer. He has starred in "The Old Man and the Sea" with
Anthony Quinn, "The Streets of Laredo" with
Sam Shepard and
Sissy Spacek, HBO's "P.O.W.E.R.: The Eddie Matos Story" & "Grand Avenue", as well as "Stargate" with
Kurt Russell and
James Spader; later recurring on the hit Sy-Fy show, "Stargate SG-1" as Skaara. He was also the angel Raphael on CBS' "Touched By An Angel" with
Roma Downey and
Della Reese, and
Martin Allende on CBS' "Shark" with
James Woods. Alexis has also appeared in "Castle" with
Nathan Fillion,
Gregory Nava's "Why Do Fools Fall In Love?" With Larenz Tate,
Sam Raimi's "Drag Me to Hell", and Adult Swim's "Eagleheart". In addition to his film and television credits, Alexis Cruz is the President and Creative Director of The Mythmaker Group, an IP Development company. Alexis has recently narrated and produced the audiobook series The Catherine Kimbridge Chronicles for Amazon, and is the creator of the Graphic Novel series, The Unprofessionals: A Sociopathic Bromance.
The creative team includes
Liz Stearns (Associate Director),
Christine De Lisle (Associate Producer), SKS Theatrical (Marketing and Promotions),
Tim Secrest and John B. Forbes (Lighting Design),
Hunter Dowell (Costume Design), Jessica and
Jennifer Davison (Sound Design), and Meagan Parker (Set Design).
Tennessee Williams was an American playwright and author of many stage classics. Along with Eugene O'Neill and
Arthur Miller he is considered among the three foremost playwrights in 20th-century American drama. After years of obscurity, he became suddenly famous with The Glass Menagerie (1944), closely reflecting his own unhappy family background. This heralded a string of successes, including Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955), and Sweet Bird of Youth (1959). His drama Streetcar Named Desire (1947) is often numbered on the short list of the finest American plays of the 20th century alongside Long Day's Journey into Night and Death of a Salesman. Much of Williams' most acclaimed work was adapted for film. He also wrote short stories, poetry, essays and a volume of memoirs. In 1979, four years before his death, Williams was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.
St. Luke's Theatre is home to many long-running hits, dating back to Late Night Catechism and Tony n' Tina's Wedding, both of which ran here for five years, up to the current Black Angels Over Tuskegee, now in its seventh year, and Disaster!, prior to its transfer to Broadway.
St. Luke's Theatre and Actors Temple Theatre are both operated by
Edmund Gaynes. Visit
www.stlukestheatre.com for more.
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