Gently Down the Stream, the new play by Tony-nominated playwright and screenwriter Martin Sherman, officially opens April 5 Off-Broadway. The world premiere, starring Harvey Fierstein, began previews March 15 at the Public Theater, where it is scheduled to play through May 14.
In Gently Down the Stream, Fierstein plays Beau, a pianist expat living in London at the dawn of the internet dating revolution. The play chronicles his relationship with Rufus, an eccentric young lawyer played by Gabriel Ebert. Hailing from two very different generations of gay men, their subsequent love story is billed by the theatre as “remarkably moving“ and “brilliantly funny.“ Christopher Sears also stars, and Sean Mathias directs.
Scroll through photos from the show, and watch a sneak peek from the production below:
Gabriel Ebert and Harvey Fierstein in Gently Down the Stream
Here’s how the Public Theater outlines Sherman’s newest work: “After a life spent recovering from the disappointment and hurt of loving men in a world that refused to allow it, Beau is determined to keep his expectations low with Rufus. But Rufus comes from a new generation of gay men who believe happiness is as much their right as anyone else’s, and what Beau assumed would be just another fling grows into one of the most surprising and defining relationships of his life. A remarkably moving, brilliantly funny love story, Gently Down the Stream reflects the triumphs and heartbreaks of the entire length of the gay rights movement, celebrating and mourning the ghosts of the men and women who led the way for equality, marriage and the right to dream.“
Tickets are on sale by calling (212) 967-7555, publictheater.org, or in person at the Taub Box Office at The Public Theater at 425 Lafayette Street.
(Updated April 5, 2017)
