Stephen Dexter, Timothy Doyle and More to Star in THE PEOPLE VERSUS LENNY BRUCE Staged Reading

Cause Célèbre Productions in association with The Writers Guild of America East and The New York Society For Ethical Culture will present a staged reading of “The People Versus Lenny Bruce” a play by Susan Charlotte, based on the legal case of legendary lawyer Martin Garbus. Directed by Antony Marsellis, the reading will be held in Adler Hall at The New York Society for Ethical Culture on Monday, December 15 at 7pm. 

The story of Lenny Bruce and his New York trial is more relevant now than ever. A heart-breaking and thought provoking story filled with humor, this theatrical adaptation is the story of comic Lenny Bruce and his lawyer Martin Garbus who tried to save his client from the system – and from himself. Both conservatives and liberals are featured in the play, including Jules Feiffer and Dorothy Kilgallen, described as “convent bred”, who approved of every obscene word that Lenny Bruce used!

The cast for The People Versus Lenny Bruce is Stephen Dexter (The Shark is Broken) as Lenny Bruce, Timothy Doyle (Fortune’s Fool) as Jules Feiffer, Michael Citriniti (Good Fellas) as Herbert Ruhe, Greg Mullavey (“Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman”) as Richard H. Kuh, Roberta Wallach (The Diary of Anne Frank) as Dorothy Kilgallen, and Jack Wetherall (The Elephant Man – original B’way production) as Marty Garbus/Narrator.

Following the reading, two-time Oscar nominee Liz Garbus will moderate a panel with special guests Martin Garbus, Susan Herman– President Emeritus of the A.C.L.U. and Ruth Bader Ginsburg Professor of Law – Brooklyn Law School, Tom Fontana – President of the Writers Guild of America East and creator of the television series “Oz”, and Mike Osgood – former Deputy Chief if the NYPD/Special Victims Unit.

At the conclusion of the trial, License Inspector Herbert Ruhe, the Prosecuter’s witness, said the following to Attorney Allen Schwartz: "We aimed for Bruce. We picked him out of all the performers. I know he was not obscene, yet is a way I feel he had to be convicted.” These words were spoken in 1964 but they could have easily been said in 2025. Jimmy Kimmel, Rahm Emanuel and The New York Times all referenced Lenny Bruce when speaking of how the first amendment was under attack. When Inspector Ruhe testified against Bruce, he knew Bruce was innocent. He not only rationalized his lies, he bragged about them!

The People Versus Lenny Bruce has been presented in New York, Los Angeles and on Cape Cod to standing ovations.