Huntington's 2019–2020 Season to Feature Lynn Nottage's Sweat, a Billy Porter-Helmed Premiere, and More | Playbill

Regional News Huntington's 2019–2020 Season to Feature Lynn Nottage's Sweat, a Billy Porter-Helmed Premiere, and More The Boston theatre unveils its upcoming season.
Lynn Nottage, Billy Porter and Octavio Solis

Boston's Huntington Theatre Company has unveiled its 2019–2020 programming. The lineup includes the world premiere of Dan McCabe's The Purists, directed by Tony winner Billy Porter; Lynne Nottage's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Sweat; the Boston premiere of Octavio Solis' Quixote Nuevo; new plays by Kirsten Greenidge and Lila Rose Kaplan; Tom Soppard's Tony-winning comedy Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead; and an anniversary production of The Bluest Eye.

Kicking off the season in August will be The Purists, a new play exploring friendship and what it means to be authentic. On a stoop in Queens, a former rapper, a DJ, and a showtune-loving telesales director have become an unlikely group. When an impromptu rap battle erupts between two younger female emcees, everything gets questioned. Porter will direct the debut production, with performances scheduled for August 30–September 29.

Beginning September 20 will be a new production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, helmed by Huntington Artistic Director Peter DuBois (September 20–October 20); followed by Quixote Nuevo, Solis' adaptation of Don Quixote, directed by KJ Sanchez. Transported to a border town in Texas, the eccentric Don Quixote embarks on a cross-desert quest to reunite with a long-lost love. Performances will run November 15–December 15.

The new year will launch with the world premiere of We All Fall Down by Lila Rose Kaplan. Set inside the Westchester home of Linda and Saul Stein, the new play follows the family's attempts—from comic to heart wrenching—to celebrate Passover together for the first time in decades. Melia Bensussen will direct, with performances scheduled for January 10–February 9, 2020.

Also in January will be the Boston premiere of Sweat, directed by Kimberly Senior. Inspired by interviews with the residents of Reading, Pennsylvania, a group of close friends struggles to stay connected when their local factory is at risk of collapse. Performances will run January 31–March 1.

Beginning March 20, Huntington will present the world premiere of Greenidge's Our Daughters, Like Pillars, also directed by Senior. The funny and moving story of one whirlwind weekend in the life of a contemporary Black American family, the new play sees a family gather for a summer vacation in New Hampshire. Performances will run March 20–April 19.

Rounding out the season, Huntington will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Pulitzer- and Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison’s acclaimed debut novel The Bluest Eye with a production of Lydia R. Diamond's stage adaptation. Performances will run April 24–May 24.

“This year I was drawn to plays that have the power to stir us up, to make us laugh, to bring us joy—plays that make us feel more alive,” says Artistic Director DuBois. “I am proud that we will premiere work by Kirsten Greenidge, Lila Rose Kaplan, and Dan McCabe — as well as bring back one of Tom Stoppard’s greatest plays and have Kimberly Senior at the helm of a new masterwork by Lynn Nottage. Two very different adaptations complete next season, with Lydia Diamond and Octavio Solis bringing breathtaking insight to two stories we love.”

For more information visit HuntingtonTheatre.org.

 
Latest News
 X

Blocking belongs
on the stage,
not on websites.

Our website is made possible by
displaying online advertisements to our visitors.

Please consider supporting us by
whitelisting playbill.com with your ad blocker.
Thank you!