Off-Broadway NewsU.S. Premiere of Yerma, Starring Billie Piper, Sets DatesSimon Stone’s acclaimed adaptation of Federico Garcia Lorca’s play will be seen at the Park Avenue Armory beginning March 23.
By
Olivia Clement
December 19, 2017
The North American premiere of Simon Stone’s acclaimed adaptation of Federico Garcia Lorca’s play Yerma, starring Billie Piper, will begin performances March 23, 2018, in the Wade Thomspon Drill Hall at Manhattan’s Park Avenue Armory. The Olivier Award-winning production was previously announced as part of the Armory’s season lineup, though dates and a complete cast had not yet been revealed.
Yerma will arrive Off-Broadway following an acclaimed debut at London’s Young Vic in 2016, marking the U.S. debuts of director Stone and Olivier Award winner Piper. The Armory production will feature the full original cast, which is completed by Maureen Beattie, Brendan Cowell, John MacMillan, Charlotte Randle, and Thalissa Teixeira.
Performances will run through April 21.
In Stone’s Yerma, a woman, played by Piper, is desperate to bear children and becomes obsessed with her inability to conceive. Set in present-day London and staged inside a glass encasement, the contemporary staging examines the perils of a life lived online. The set, designed by Lizzie Clachan, positions viewers on either side of the glass structure.
“Simon Stone is one of the most exciting young directors of our time,” said Pierre Audi, artistic director of Park Avenue Armory, in a statement. “So many theatrical classics are buried amidst the influx of novelty, but Simon is rehabilitating subjects and themes often seen as antiquated but that are still relevant today and merit contemplation. With Yerma, Stone reminds us that in many ways, not much has changed when it comes to the insidious social and personal pressures wrapped up in domestic impulses. This is one of the most emotional, human productions the Armory has ever presented.”
For more information and for the complete 2018 lineup, visit Armoryonpark.org.
The Fred Ebb Award recognizes excellence in musical theatre songwriting, by a songwriter or songwriting team that has not yet achieved significant commercial success.