New Wave Arts to Present BAUDELAIRE'S PASSION By Henry Keen

New Wave Arts will  present Baudelaire's Passion by Henry Keen in a special limited run: September 21-30, 2023 at The John Cullum Theatre of the American Theatre of Actors
314 West 54th Street, NYC.

An international cast brings Keen's soaring surreal tale to life in a clever and timely way.

The story - taking a page out of Dante - focuses on Charles Baudelaire, 19th-Century French poet, now suffering in Purgatory.

Saint Peter and Satan do battle over the soul of this "enfant terrible," and - with the aid of a series of flashbacks - examines Charles' virtues ... and vices. Specters from his life, love, and art, pervade their deliberations. Will darkness or light prevail?

This world premiere directed by Eduard Tolokonnikov with choreography by Eryc Taylor, with an original score by Nate Sassoon and original artwork by Alfred Rechester, is performed in Russian with English supertitles. The cast includes artists from Ukraine, Georgia, Russia, Siberia, Armenia, and the United States. Ukrainian actor, Eugene Beltukov, plays Baudelaire in his American stage debut. Beltukov fled the Russia/Ukraine conflict to protect his family in 2022. The cast includes Anna Nesterova, Elena Ouspenskaia, Gala Orlovskaya, Roman Freud, Lev Grzhonko, Badimir, Iryna Malygina, Zeyna Gagne, Karen Hakobian, and Konstantin Mischtschenko.

The design team includes Alyona Mak (costumes); Lev Chesnov (lighting); Alfred Rechester (art direction and poster design) with Mark Rabinovich serving as technical director. Elena Che is assistant director; Victoria Zharova, general manager; Taniya Kot, movement director; Lilly Sassoon is production assistant and set decorator is Maria Miller. Videos by Anzi Debenedetto.

Tickets are $65 for general admission and $100 for the VIP experience, which includes a special meeting with the cast, additional live performances, invitations to art exhibitions and poetry readings, as well as joining us for a champagne toast, hors d'oeuvres, and more.

A portion of the play's proceeds will go to charities supporting Ukrainian children. For more information, visit www.baudelairespassion.com.