Paul Rudnick's "The New Century" at The Foundry

PLAYS OF WILTON! PRESENTS PAUL RUDNICK’S THE NEW CENTURY

Meet the people you’d never invite to the same party… and thank goodness someone did.

Plays of Wilton! (POW!) presents Paul Rudnick’s The New Century, a wildly funny comedy bursting with unforgettable characters, outrageous laughs and enough heart to surprise you.

Smart, silly and gloriously over-the-top, The New Century brings together a group of people who could hardly seem more different — until Rudnick reveals just how much they have in common.

There’s Helene, an outspoken Long Island mother who proudly proclaims herself the “most loving mother of all time” to her three children; Mr. Charles, an extravagantly theatrical gay man who has retreated to Palm Beach after discovering that a younger generation of gay men finds him “too gay”; and Barbara Ellen, a Midwestern craftswoman whose cheerful collection of handmade creations masks the profound loss of a son to AIDS.

Their stories begin separately but ultimately collide in unexpected and hilarious circumstances as Rudnick asks where this “new century” might be heading — and who gets to come along for the ride.

The result is unmistakably Paul Rudnick: rapid-fire one-liners, outrageous characters and fearless comedy wrapped around something far more poignant — a look at LGBTQ+ identity across generations, the families we are born into and create for ourselves, and the ways humor can help us survive grief, prejudice and change.

When The New Century premiered at Lincoln Center Theater in 2008, critics quickly recognized Rudnick’s ability to combine outrageous comedy with genuine emotional weight.

The New York Times: “The one-liners fly like rockets.” TheaterMania: “A laugh on every line.” New York Post: “Gut-busting one-liners.”

Rudnick has said that he never intended The New Century to feel like simply a collection of unrelated one-act plays, but rather stories that “intertwine” and build into a complete theatrical experience.

Funny, provocative, touching and proudly excessive, The New Century is a comedy about people carrying the experiences of one generation into the next — the losses, the battles, the absurdities, the hard-won freedoms and, above all, the laughter.

POW! alumni returning to The Foundry include Beverly Blanchette, Michael Gillespie, Betty Ann Hunt Strain and John Provasnik, along with director Greg Schuh. Making her POW! mainstage debut is Stephanie Manner.

“Paul Rudnick manages to be outrageous, smart and incredibly funny while still finding the heart underneath all those laughs,” said Joseph Guidetti, Associate Producer of Plays of Wilton! “The New Century feels like a perfect POW! play — unapologetically gay, a little outrageous, and ultimately about people finding a way to understand and love one another.”

“I first came to know Paul Rudnick through the movie Jeffrey, but once I discovered his plays, I fell in love with his writing,” said director Greg Schuh. “His work is an actor’s and director’s dream — funny, fearless and deeply emotional — and The New Century takes us on a wonderful ride through growing up, loving, coming out and being loved.”

THE NEW CENTURY Written by Paul Rudnick Directed by Greg Schuh

October 2–25, 2026 The Foundry at Plays of Wilton! Thursday through Saturday at 8 PM Sunday at 3 PM

Tickets: https://app.tickettailor.com/events/ronnielarsenpresents/2329837

Suitable for ages 18+ Brief male nudity