THE MOTHERF**CKER WITH THE HAT Begins 2/25 at Artists Rep

Artists Rep will present the Northwest premiere of The Motherfucker With the Hat by Stephen Aldy Guirgis, from February 25 through March 30. This hard-hitting, comedic play premiered on Broadway in 2011 starring Chris Rock, making his Broadway debut as Ralph D. and was directed by Anna D. Shapiro. Kevin Jones will direct Artists Rep's production starring Victor Mack as Ralph D. The Broadway production was nominated for six Tony Awards, including Outstanding New Broadway Play, and is currently one of the Top 10 most produced plays in the country.

Recovering addict Jackie, fresh out of jail, is determined to get straight and settle down in NYC with the support of his girl Veronica, his AA sponsor Ralph D., and his loyal cousin Julio until ... he finds a hat that isn't his own left conspicuously behind in his bedroom. His quest to track down the motherfucker with the hat threatens to put him right back where he started. Take a breakneck ride with this poetically profane, kick in the karmic cojones that becomes a raw, touching and thoroughly hilarious dive into the quest for transformation.

Artists Rep's Artistic Director Damaso Rodriguez said at the production's first rehearsal "Guirgis' play is complex, gritty, funny, fresh and urgent ... human." He adds, "You will care about these characters and become invested in a world you may not know."

"This is a hard-hitting in-your-face play, a tragic, gritty comedic story that immerses us into the lives of New York's ethnic working-class; a world virtually invisible to wealthier, more 'mainstream'

America. All of the characters, one way or another, are striving for a taste of the American Dream but lack the sensibilities to make it in the 'mainstream' world ," said Kevin Jones, the production's director. He continues, "We are here to tell a NYC story, not a Portland story. It is easy to get caught up in the profanity and the grit, but there is poetry in the language, rhythm in the 12-step world that transcends race, socioeconomics and culture. There are gnarly challenges with addiction and recovery, wild contradictions as these people fight for their lives."

Tickets: $25-$55

Box Office: 503.241.1278 or www.artistsrep.org

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