HERDING CATS Opens and Extends to June 21

New York-based, Olivier-winning, and Tony-nominated OHenry Productions and Stellar, in association with Soho Theatre, has announced the opening of the transatlantic production of Herding Cats by Lucinda Coxon (The Danish Girl). In this groundbreaking revival of Coxon's "brave, brutal" (Guardian) play, Anthony Banks (The Girl on the Train, West End) directs Jassa Ahluwalia (Unforgotten, Peaky Blinders) as Michael, Greg Germann (Grey's Anatomy, Ally McBeal, Assassins) as Saddo, and Drama Desk nominee Sophie Melville as Justine (Pops, Iphigenia in Splott). Currently streaming live from London's Soho Theatre through May 22, the groundbreaking production is a hybrid of in-person and livestream theatre that marks a first-of-its-kind international collaboration. Herding Cats is a Stellar Original production.

Also announced today is the June 7-21, 2021, streaming extension of the production. On-demand viewing tickets go on sale Monday, May 24.

With Germann performing live in Los Angeles and transmitted via video-link into the Soho Theatre where Ahluwalia and Melville are performing in-person, Herding Cats creates a unique live experience for the audience. Simultaneously, audiences across the globe can access the production as a livestreamed theatrical experience that will combine the performances of both the American and British actors in real-time. The production is simultaneously accessible online to audiences across the globe via Stellar and in-person in London at Soho Theatre.

Herding Cats is a chillingly funny play about a generation negotiating intimacy and independence in the 21st century. Meeting the demands of modern life is as impossible as herding cats for Justine, Michael, and Saddo. To deal with work, Justine talks - a little too much - to her roommate Michael who earns a living by chatting with strangers like Saddo. But all three will soon find that in a cold, disconnected world, words may not be enough.

Playwright Lucinda Coxon said, "Ten years on from the première of Herding Cats, I'm excited to share the story with audiences once again. It strikes me that the play's exploration of acute loneliness and of the striking inequality between genders and generations feels incredibly of the moment, particularly as I reflect on the events of the last year."

Anthony Banks, director, also commented, "I directed the first production of Herding Cats over a decade ago and I can't wait to revisit the characters of Justine and Michael. Returning to direct a new production of the play, the universe around it is drastically different. Justine's rant about the property market has become an austere reality for young adults. The #MeToo movement has busted characters like Justine's boss out of the safety of their back-offices and gender identity is recognized not only by the health service but also by education. We're entering the twenties reassessing each other, it's a bumpy ride, like herding cats. Like Michael, over the last twelve months, many of us experienced extraordinary isolation. The play explores disappointment - in the footsteps of Beckett and Chekhov - but it also contains a rallying, raging cry for fairness, for equality, for justice."

Upon its 2010 premiere, The Times called Herding Cats "arresting," while The Evening Standard noted, "Lucinda Coxon's brutal but icily funny three-hander is the dramatic equivalent of a triple shot of something bitter and delicious... fine theatre." The Guardian declared, "What a brave, brutal 75 minutes this is from Lucinda Coxon, who turns a cool gaze on the disconnectedness of contemporary life and lets nobody off the hook."

The additional creative team includes Olivier-nominee lighting designer Howard Hudson (&Juliet - Olivier nomination, West End, In the Heights King's Cross Theatre), costume designer Susan Kulkarni (Secret Cinema), video designer Andrzej Goulding (& Juliet, West End, Groundhog Day, Broadway), set designer Grace Smart (Susanna, Royal Opera House), and sound designers Ben and Max Ringham (Blindness, Donmar Warehouse, Cyrano de Bergerac, West End - Olivier nomination). UK Casting, Stuart Burt (2021 CDG Award Winner) and US Casting, Taylor Williams (2021 Artios Award Winner).

Herding Cats is co-produced by Jeff Hollander and executive produced by Josh McTaggart. Kim Onah serves as Associate Producer.

Livestream tickets start at $19. Visit www.herdingcatsplay.com for more information and to purchase tickets.

Performance Schedule

Thursday, May 20 at 2:30 PM ET / 7:30 PM GMT - PRESS PERFORMANCE

Friday, May 21 at 2:30 PM ET / 7:30 PM GMT

Friday, May 21 at 6 PM ET / 11 PM GMT

Saturday, May 22 at 11:00 AM ET / 4:00 PM GMT

Saturday, May 22 at 2:30 PM ET / 7:30 PM GMT

June 7-21, 2021: on-demand streaming extension

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