The Flea to Present THE FLYING LATKE, 12/3-18

The Flea Theater will present The Flying Latke by Arthur Yorinks, a heart-warming tale of Chanukah celebrations, holiday dysfunction and the miracle of a certain soaring potato pancake directed by four Flea Resident Directors. This limited engagement runs Saturday & Sunday mornings only December 3 through 18 Downstairs @ The Flea. Tickets are $12 per person.

Adapted by Yorinks from his classic children’s book, The Flying Latke tells the story of young Danny Silverstein and his “meshugge” family as they celebrate the first night of Chanukah. Their holiday food fight sends a latke sailing out the window and over the city, causing a UFO frenzy that traps the Silversteins in their home with their extended family visiting and nothing but latkes to eat.

"It’s my favorite Chanukah story," says Flea Theater Resident Director Ben Kamine. "We have all had this experience of family togetherness at holiday gatherings; those are my aunts and uncles up there on stage."

Along with Kamine, who first conceived of bringing Yorinks’ play to The Flea, the production features the creative talents of Resident Directors Tom Costello, Kristan Seemel and Danya Taymor. Performers include Yoni Ben-Yehuda, Arturo Castro, Morgan Everitt, Eric Folks, Kana Hatakeyama, Tedra Millan, Robert Rodems, Sade Namei and Joann Sacco, all members of The Bats, The Flea's resident company of actors.

Arthur Yorinks has written and directed for opera, theater, dance, film, and radio and is the author of over thirty acclaimed and award-winning books, including the Caldecott Medal winner, Hey, Al. In his four decades of working in the performing arts, Mr. Yorinks has written and directed numerous plays including So, Sue Me, which premiered at The Kennedy Center and It’s Alive, which premiered at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center in New York. Mr. Yorinks was Philip Glass’s librettist for the operas The Juniper Tree and The Fall of the House of Usher, both of which have been performed all over the world. Mr. Yorinks, in addition to originating A New Theater of Sound in collaboration with The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, consults for New York Public Radio and runs the company he founded, The Yorinks Theater Group.

The Flea Resident Directors at the Flea are a group of emerging artists who spend a year at the theater developing new work and mounting productions with The Bats. Now in its second year, past productions from Flea Resident Directors include Trista Baldwin’s American Sexy, Zack Russell’s Just Cause, and #serials@theflea, The Flea’s hit late-night episodic play competition.

The Bats are the resident Acting Company members of The Flea Theater. Each year over a thousand actors audition for a place in this unique company. The Bats perform in extended runs of challenging classic and new plays. The Bats have recently appeared in World Premieres by A.R. Gurney, Will Eno, Adam Rapp, Beau Willimon, Mac Wellman, Elizabeth Swados, Thomas Bradshaw, Itamar Moses, Sheila Callaghan, Julian Sheppard, Ken Urban, Tommy Smith, Jonathan Reynolds, Trista Baldwin and Laurel Haines.

The Flea Theater, under Artistic Director Jim Simpson and Producing Director Carol Ostrow, is one of New York's leading off-off-Broadway companies. Winner of a Special Drama Desk Award for outstanding achievement, Obie and Otto awards, The Flea has presented nearly 100 plays and numerous dance and live music performances since its inception in 1996. Past productions include the premieres of Anne Nelson's THE GUYS; six plays by A.R. Gurney (POST MORTEN, O JERUSALEM, SCREENPLAY, MRS. FARNSWORTH, A LIGHT LUNCH and OFFICE HOURS); and plays by Mac Wellman, Roger Rosenblatt, Elizabeth Swados, Karen Finley, Adam Rapp, Will Eno, Thomas Bradshaw, Jonathan Reynolds, Bathsheba Doran, Steven Banks, Trista Baldwin, Laurel Haines, Sheila Callaghan and too many more to mention.

The Flying Latke runs December 3, 4, 10, 11, 17 & 18th at 10:30am. Check www.theflea.org for the full performance schedule. The Flea is located at 41 White Street between Church and Broadway, three blocks south of Canal, close to the A/C/E, N/R/Q, 6, J/M/Z and 1 subway lines. Tickets are $12 and are available at the door beginning 1 hour prior to each performance.

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