Come and Knock Down My Door - a new comedy at Gene Frankel Theatre

A riotous political-situation comedy occurring in the aftermath of the January 6 insurrection upon the Capitol. It’s January 7th, 2021. The U.S is still in the throes of a deadly Pandemic, and the 2020 Presidential Race has yet to be conceded. After “Storming the Capitol,” Pablo, a freewheeling pot dealer, returns from Washington, DC to the Lower East Side apartment he shares with his liberal roommates; James, an African American musician, and Mina, his Russian speaking girlfriend. Hilarity ensues, misunderstandings abound, and their world nearly spirals into chaos as Pablo’s roommates fear the FBI will come and knock down their door….

Philip Cruise* directs a talented cast, including Jared Ritter, Lana Ayrapetyants, Tammi Cubilette, Callie Fabac, and Vincent Lamberti*, as well as Cruise and Emanuel.

"Like many of us, the year 2020 and the Covid pandemic was emotionally fraught. January 6, 2021, was another such day,” shares producer and director Philip Cruise. “I watched with my mouth agape as an iconic symbol of peace and democracy was overrun and desecrated by misguided and misled self-anointed patriots. Desecrated: defined as ‘to treat a sacred place or thing with violent disrespect,’ which was exactly what I witnessed that day. At the 250th anniversary of the signing of our Declaration of Independence, it’s essential to remember what makes the USA so special. If I can make the audience laugh while calling attention to the piece of history that so many are trying to rewrite and erase, I'm doing my job as a theatre producer and as an American."

Come and Knock Down My Door began as a burst of inspiration in January 2021, when playwright Alex Emanuel drafted the first full version in five days, drawing on personal experience, absurdist humor, and an innate feel for comedy. He inherited that comedic instinct from his Illustrator's Hall of Fame political cartoonist father, Robert Grossman, whose illustrations graced the covers of TIME, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, Esquire, Sports Illustrated, National Lampoon and New York Magazine, as well as his iconic image of an airplane tied in a knot for the absurdist masterpiece AIRPLANE! Since then, the play has steadily evolved through a series of increasingly public and enthusiastic readings, building momentum toward full production. Early drafts were warmly received at Naked Angels, followed by a successful read-through that confirmed the play’s potential. A full virtual reading on January 6, 2022, via Zoom/Facebook Live drew a large, enthusiastic audience, leading to a triumphant in-person reading at The Chain Theatre in 2023. Plans for a high-profile reading with Austin Pendleton after the election were shelved when Kamala Harris lost, but the piece moved forward with a well-received 2025 reading at AMT after further revisions and, most recently, a packed, strongly received reading at HB Studio’s theatre on Bank Street.

“I had considered writing a play based on a relationship between a Trumper and a non-Trumper, and I fell into the zone with this piece the day after the January 6th insurrection,” shared playwright Alex Emanuel. “While many theatrical gatekeepers have labeled the work ‘too soon,’ now is surely the time for it. We need to laugh, and we need to be reminded of how we got here. A screenplay adaptation is in the works.”

Performances for Come and Knock Down My Door are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m.; and Sundays at 3:00 p.m. Exceptions: Thursday, May 7 at 7:30 p.m. Opening night is Friday, May 8 at 8:00 p.m. The last week of the run is Wednesday, May 27 through Saturday May 30, 2026 at 8:00pm.

The runtime is 110 minutes, including one 15-minute intermission.

General admission tickets are $35.00. For information and tickets, visit: OnTheStage.Tickets

Direct ticketing link: https://our.show/knockdownmydoor

Come and Knock Down My Door is produced by Philip Cruise, Seth Gilliam & Edward Miller for Thin Duke Productions, Thomas Gordon for the Gene Frankel Theatre, and Alex Emanuel & Lana Ayrapetyants for Starna Productions; Art Designer: Karl Bourke; Lighting Designer: Olivia Martin; Video/Sound Designer: Jeff Kushner; Stage Manager: Melinoe Elizabeth; Original Artwork: Robert Grossman; Graphic Designer: David Finkelstein; Choreography: Cat Cruise; Public Relations: Paul Siebold/Off Off PR.