Mint Theater Co. Extends 'The Power of Darkness' thru 11/4

Mint Theater Company today announced that Leo Tolstoy's dramatic landmark, The Power Of Darkness, has been extended through November 4.

Mint was awarded $100,000 from The Tony Randall Theatrical Fund in a competitive process to support this production, beating out forty-five other professional theaters in the tri-state area. This play was written in 1886 but was banned in Russia where it was not produced until 1895.  The play is virtually unknown in this country; its first New York production was in Yiddish (in 1904).  It was another 16 years before the fledgling Theater Guild finally presented the play in English.  The last time it was seen in New York was in 1959.

"Tolstoy's tragedy is a heartrending and cautionary tale about the consequences of pursuing personal gain while disregarding morality and the dictates of one's own conscience.  Time has not diminished the power of this masterful drama which is likely to challenge the nerves of even the most hardened of theatergoers.  Set amidst the squalor, superstition and ignorance of a peasant village in Russia, the play's subtitle: 'If the claw is caught, the bird is lost' evocatively describes the downward spiral of the play's young protagonist whose philandering ensnares him in a web of murder, adultery and infanticide leading ultimately to despair and a cry for redemption," explain press notes.

Mint Theater continues its three-year initiative celebrating the important work of the Theater Guild with this production.  From its inception in 1918 to the 1960's, the Guild provided an American home for ground-breaking writers, directors, actors and designers as well as for audiences hungry for thoughtful, provocative and nourishing drama. In 2001, the Mint was awarded an Obie grant for "combining the excitement of discovery with the richness of tradition," and in 2002 a special Drama Desk Award for "unearthing, presenting and preserving forgotten plays of merit."

Martin Platt directs a cast that includes Mark Alhadeff, Evalyn Baron, Jennifer Bissell, Steve Brady, Peter Bretz, Randy Danson, Anne Letscher, Peter Levine, Danielle Quisenberry, Angela Reed, Jeff Steitzer, Alok Tewari and Marion Wood.