Apothecary Theatre Company Closes IN GOD'S HAT, 8/7

"In God's Hat," an incendiary new drama by Richard Taylor receives its world premiere in a four-week engagement concocted by the Apothecary Theatre Company. Directed by Kevin Kittle, and featuring the two-time Daytime Emmy Award-winner Tom Pelphrey, "In God's Hat" plays a limited four-week engagement from Wednesday July 14 through Saturday August 7, at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater, 416 West 42nd Street, on Theater Row, with an opening on Sunday July 18 at 2pm. Tickets, which are $18, are available via Ticket Central by phone at 212/279-4200 or online at www.ticketcentral.com

Set in a crummy motel on a desolate highway leading away from a penitentiary, "In God's Hat" involves two brothers who haven't seen each other for a bit more than the decade Mitch has been locked up for pedophilia. When Roy, the younger of the two, implies that his brother's payment of his debt to society still leaves an unpaid balance to the family, a feeling of double jeopardy is seeping under the door. As two Aryan skinheads butt in to add their own crude indictments, Mitch's punishment is starting to look a lot worse than the crime.

"In God's Hat" features a cast of four led by TV's Tom Pelphrey (Guiding Light, As the World Turns) as Roy, the younger brother with the chip on his shoulder; Rhett Rossi as Mitch, the brother doubly wronged; and Dennis Flanagan as Arthur, a pathological score settler. The character of Early Boyle, Arthur's Aryan "brother" who's out for even more blood, has yet to be cast.

Liberally salting all the various wounds is director Kevin Kittle, whose knack for elevating the downtrodden -- particularly in plays by the British-centric company Stiff Upper Lip ("The Pitchfork Disney," "Dirty Works") -- has often received high praise. The production design team includes set designer Michael Reese; lighting designer Jerome Hoppe, and technical director Lou Albruzzesse. The production stage manager is Chris Rinaldi.

Taylor, a screenwriter, has not had work on the boards in New York for several years. He penned "Burnt," his debut as a playwright, which made a splash in 2000. This is Apothecary's inaugural production.

"In God's Hat" performs 19 times in a limited 4-week run from Wednesday July 14 to Saturday August 7 at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater, 416 West 42nd Street, on Theater Row. The performance schedule is as follows: Wednesday through Saturday at 8pm, and Sunday at 2pm. For tickets, which are $18, call Ticket Central at 212/279-4200 or visit www.ticketcentral.com

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