59E59 Theaters will kick off its 2019 summer season in July with a return of East to Edinburgh, the annual showcase of American shows that are Scotland-bound for the largest arts festival in the world: the Edinburgh Fringe.
Next, comedian Rita Rudner stars in Two's a Crowd, a new musical comedy co-written by Rudner and Martin Bergman with music and lyrics by Jason Feddy. Forced together by a computer error, freewheeling Tom and uptight Wendy do their best to ruin each other’s vacations in Las Vegas, unless the bright lights can convince them to take a chance on love (July 13–August 25).
Rounding out July and August, 59E59's annual Summer Shorts festival returns July 19–August 31. The lineup of one-act plays taking part will be announced later.
In September will be Debra Whitfield's futuristic play Tech Support. Set in 2020, antique book seller and technophobe Pamela Stark's world is turned upside down when, instead of providing assistance with her printer, the tech support guy, "Chip," offers her choices for different centuries. Performances will run August 29–September 21.
Also in September is Bob Stevens' Only Yesterday, directed by Carol Dunne. The play brings to life an evening with Beatles band members Paul McCartney and John Lennon, played by Tommy Crawford and Christopher Sears, respectively. Performances will run September 7–29.
Rounding out the month, Michael Tucker’s Fern Hill starring Jill Eikenberry, is about a group of friends whose relationship unravels from a marital betrayal. Performances will run September 10–October 20.
The summer season officially wraps up in October with Liba Vaynberg's Round Table, where the worlds of romance novels and LARPing collide to comic effect (directed by Geordie Broadwater, running September 27–October 20); and with Sean Daniels’ The White Chip, a memoir play detailing the writer's journey from first sip to rock bottom and his unusual path to sobriety (October 4–26, directed by Sheryl Kaller).
A sneak peek at 59E59’s fall season: resident company Prospect Theater returns in November with the American premiere of the new musical Einstein's Dreams. Adapted from Alan Lightman’s novel of the same name, the story follows a young and uncertain Albert Einstein at the turn of the century.
Einstein's Dreams features a book and lyrics by Joanne Sydney Lessner, music and lyrics by Joshua Rosenblum, and direction by Cara Reichel. Performances will run November 5– December 15.
