Previews began Oct. 22, and performances continue to Nov. 23. Faith Prince, Richard Thomas, Michael Aronov, Viola Harris and Ana Reeder star.
In the play, "on a summer evening, residents of a Greenwich Village walk-up gather on the roof to celebrate a wedding anniversary, only to confront some of the uncomfortable truths that inform their lives and relationships. Unusual Acts of Devotion looks at things done — and not done — all in the name of love," according to PTC.
The resident Equity troupe has a relationship with McNally that extends back 20 years and includes the world-premiere productions of Master Class and Some Men, but also the Philadelphia premieres of Love! Valour! Compassion!; Lips Together, Teeth Apart; and Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune.
Producing artistic director Sara Garonzik stated, "It continues to be our great honor to assist Terrence in the development of his new work. I think audiences connect so deeply with his plays because his characters are so richly drawn with equal measures of unflinching honesty and compassion for what makes them — and us — human. It is no wonder that actors are so drawn to his plays and we cannot be more delighted with our ensemble cast for Unusual Acts of Devotion. We welcome back Richard Thomas with whom we worked several years ago in Citizen Tom Paine and welcome aboard the wonderful Faith Prince as well as Ana Reeder, Michael Aronov and Viola Harris."
Prince is a Tony Award winner for Guys and Dolls, and was thrice nominated beyond that for Bells Are Ringing, Jerome Robbins' Broadway and the recent A Catered Affair. Thomas is the respected theatre actor known for playing John Boy on TV's "The Waltons." He recently starred in the national tour of Twelve Angry Men. Foglia staged McNally's Tony Award-winning Master Class. Foglia recently directed Thurgood on Broadway, and On Golden Pond before that.
*
McNally said in a statement, "In Unusual Acts of Devotion, I wanted to imagine a party with one young couple [Aronov and Reeder] celebrating an anniversary, an ill-matched couple trying to affect some sort of reconciliation, and an older woman who has observed it all. All these people have a rare opportunity to come together to love and be loved, to empathize, and to be understood. If there's one thing I hope that audiences take away from the play, it's how precious the time we spend together is and how we squander it so mightily."
McNally is a four-time Tony-winning playwright, for Master Class, Love! Valour! Compassion!, Ragtime and Kiss of the Spider Woman.
The creative team for Unusual Acts of Devotion includes PTC lighting designer Brian Nason and sound designer Ryan Rumery and introduces PTC audiences to world renowned set designer Santo Loquasto (Tony and Drama Desk Awards for Café Crown and The Cherry Orchard and numerous films by Woody Allen) and costume designer Jess Goldstein (Tony Award for The Rivals, Tony nomination for Henry IV, and Drama Desk nominations for Enchanted April and Love! Valour! Compassion!).
PTC performs at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre, which is located at Broad and Lombard Streets on the Avenue of the Arts in Philly.
For tickets, call the PTC box office at (215) 985-0420 or visit PhiladelphiaTheatreCompany.org.
*
Philadelphia Theatre Company is Philadelphia's only non-profit professional theatre dedicated exclusively to producing world and regional premieres of works by contemporary American playwrights. Sara Garonzik has been the company's producing artistic director since 1982, and in October 2007, Diane Claussen became its managing director.
