Wilma Theater Presents The Wilma Theater's Symposium Series

In conjunction with the U.S. Premiere of Schmucks - a tale of a fictitious meeting between two comic icons, Groucho Marx and Lenny Bruce - The Wilma Theater will present a night of comedy films with screenings of Duck Soup and The Best of Lenny Bruce. A spoof on politics and war, Duck Soup (1933) showcases the Marx Brothers in one of their most hilarious films. The Best of Lenny Bruce includes excerpts from comedian Lenny Bruce's roller-coaster career in comedy.

Schmucks is a comic fantasy by comedian and playwright Roy Smiles, directed by the Wilma's co-Artistic Director Jiri Zizka. It's 1965, and the great Northeast Blackout thrusts New York City into a state of panic and disorder. Isolated in a small diner, a young stand-up comic, Joe Klein, with an upcoming gig on The Ed Sullivan Show encounters comedy legends Groucho Marx and Lenny Bruce and implores them for comedic guidance, unleashing their unpredictably edgy and comic personas. As the two comedians clash over whose act is funnier and more relevant, the intensity quickly increases in a whirlwind of witty one-liners, zany antics, and uncensored punch lines. Schmucks begins previews on December 3, 2008, opens on December 10, and closes on January 4, 2009. Tickets are $39 - $55 and are available by calling the Wilma Box Office at (215) 546-7824 or online at www.wilmatheater.org.

The Wilma Theater's Symposium Series is supported by The Wallace Foundation Excellence Award grant. The Wallace Foundation Excellence Awards were created to support exemplary arts organizations to pioneer effective practices to engage more people in high-value arts activities.

THE WILMA THEATER
on the Avenue of the Arts at
Broad & Spruce Streets
Philadelphia, PA 19107

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