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Performances begin October 18 at The Duke on 42nd Street for Wheelhouse Theater Company's revival of Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.'s Happy Birthday, Wanda June. The production previously played in the Gene Frankel Theater, where it received critical acclaim and extended its run by five weeks.
Jeffrey Wise directs a cast made up of Craig Wesley Divino, Finn Faulconer, Matt Harrington, Kareem Lucas, Kate MacCluggage, Jason O’Connell, and Charlotte Wise.
Vonnegut's first play, Happy Birthday, Wanda June premiered Off-Broadway at the Theater de Lys (now the Lucille Lortel) on October 7, 1970, before transferring to Broadway's Edison Theatre that same year.
The story of a war veteran and big game hunter who returns home after almost a decade, the play offers a searing and darkly comic look at American culture, capitalism, and toxic masculinity.
Performances of Happy Birthday, Wanda June are scheduled through November 29.
The production features scenic design by Brittany Vasta; lighting design by Drew Florida; costume design by Christopher Metzger; and sound design by Mark Van Hare. Paula R. Clarkson is the production stage Manager; David Kenner is the assistant stage manager; production manager is Drew Francis; and Daniel Demello is the press representative. General Management by Visceral Entertainment (Michael Chase Gosselin, Tim Sulka) and casting by Nora Brennan, CSA.
Vonnegut is a celebrated American writer whose novels include Cat's Cradle, Slaughterhouse-Five, and Breakfast of Champions.
