Jez Butterwothis MOJO Makes Pittsburgh Premiere 5/29-6/14

The REP, Point Park University's professional theatre company, presents the Pittsburgh premiere of Jez Butterworth's play Mojo at the Pittsburgh Playhouse Friday, May 29 through June 14 with a preview performance open to the public on Thursday, May 28; Kim Martin directs.

"The whole joint sparkles like the briny deep" at Ezra's Atlantic. Beneath the sequined surface of this seedy London watering hole, however, sharks are circling. It's 1958, and local singing and dancing sensation Silver Johnny has potential to rival Elvis as a teen idol. The jukebox dreams of the minnows who discovered him seem about to come true. Then their leader goes to pieces. Literally. He's killed and chopped in half by a rival promoter, and the rest of the chums may be next. As they barricade themselves inside the club, heads swimming in a sea of paranoia and mistrust, threats of bloodshed and betrayal burst forth like rock-n-roll riffs. SurviVal May depend on which of these little fish has the biggest bite.

The cast includes Amadeo Fusca as Silver Johnny, Sam Turich as Sweets, Michael Fuller as Potts, David Droxler as Baby, Gregory Johnstone as Skinny and Philip Winters as Mickey. Scenic design is by Michael Thomas Essad, lights by Andrew David Ostrowski, costumes by Cathleen Crocker-Perry and sound by Elizabeth Atkinson.

Mojo opened at London's Royal Court Theatre in 1995. After winning the George Divine Award for Most Promising Playwright, the Writer's New Guild Writer of the Year Award, the Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Playwright and the Olivier Award for Britain's Best Comedy all in 1995, Butterworth went on to direct a film version of the play in 1997.

Mojo opens with a preview performances on Thursday, May 28; the show runs from Friday, May 29 through Sunday, June 14, 2009 in the Studio Theatre. Performances will be held Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets range in price from $24 to $27 and can be purchased by calling the Pittsburgh Playhouse box office at 412-621-4445 or online at www.pittsburghplayhouse.com.