The New York premiere of Basil Kreimendahl's Orange Julius officially opens January 22 at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater. The memory play traces the relationship between a dying Vietnam vet and his trans, adult child.
The production, which began performances January 10, is a collaboration between the Off-Broadway theatre and Page 73. Dustin Wills directs a cast made up of Stephen Payne as Julius, and Jess Barbagallo as Nut, along with two-time Tony nominee Mary Testa, Irene Sofia Lucio, and Ruy Iskandar.
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“After being poisoned by Agent Orange in the jungles of Vietnam, Julius is dying; his body is racked with cancer and his mind gone,“ read production notes. “Nut, his adult child, tries to reconnect with Julius by caring for his decaying body, sorting through childhood memories, and diving into war movie fantasies, ultimately finding ways to connect with him in ways Nut never expected.“
Scroll through production photos below:
The production features sets by Kate Noll, costumes by Montana Blanco, lighting by Barbara Samuels, and sound by Palmer Hefferan. Nicole Marconi is production stage manager.
Orange Julius was developed at the 2012 O'Neill National Playwrights Conference, was included in La Jolla Playhouse's DNA new work series, and had its world premiere at Moxie Theatre Company in San Diego. Kreimendahl's play Sidewinders won the Rella Lossy Playwright's Award and had its world premiere at The Cutting Ball Theater in San Francisco; We're Gonna Be OK will have its world premiere at Actors Theatre of Louisville at the 2017 Humana Festival of New Plays.
Tickets to the Off-Broadway debut of Orange Julius can be bought at RattleStick.org or via phone at (212) 627-2556.