Performances begin September 1 for the New York premiere of I Was Most Alive With You, the newest work from Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-nominated Prelude to a Kiss and Light in the Piazza writer Craig Lucas. Tyne Rafaeli directs the Playwrights Horizons production, which is performed on a split stage, simultaneously in English and American Sign Language, by two separate casts.
Inspired by the biblical Book of Job, I Was Most Alive With You tells the story of a man whose entire existence is threatened by a series of unexpected tests. The play examines Deaf culture, addiction, and the nature of human resilience.
The Playwrights Horizons production follows an acclaimed world premiere of I Was Most Alive With You at the Huntington Theatre Company in Boston in 2016.
The Off-Broadway cast features Marianna Bassham, Michael Gaston, and Russell Harvard (in a role Lucas wrote for him and who reprises his performance from the play's world premiere in Boston), as well as Tony Award nominee Lois Smith, Tad Cooley, Lisa Emery, and Gameela Wright. The shadow cast is made up of Beth Applebaum, Kalen Feeney, Seth Gore, Harold Foxx, Amelia Hensley, Anthony Natale, and Alexandria Wailes.
Sabrina Dennison serves as director of Artistic Sign Language.
The creative team for I Was Most Alive With You also includes Arnulfo Maldonado (scenic design), David C. Woolard (costume design), Annie Wiegand (lighting design), Jane Shaw (sound design), Alex Basco Koch (projection design), Daniel Kluger (original music), and Brett Anders (production stage manager).
The production will officially open September 24. For tickets and more information visit PlaywrightsHorizons.org.