In celebration of what would have been writer Zora Neale Hurston 125th birthday, New Federal Theatre, in association with Castillo Theatre, will present a revival of Zora Neale Hurston on Theatre Row in New York.
Laurence Holder’s theatrical biography, which debuted Off-Broadway in 1990 and played again in 1998, returns with original stars Elizabeth Van Dyke and Joseph Lewis Edwards. The revival will run October 20-November 20 at the Castillo Theater, located at 543 West 42nd Street, New York.
Woodie King, Jr., Artistic Director of NFT, will stage the production. Wynn Handman, who helmed the earlier productions at The American Place Theatre, is consulting director.
Dyke, who originated the role of Hurston, has also toured the show around the world since 1990. Hurston was a prolific novelist, playwright (Fast and Furious, Mule Bone) and journalist of the 1920’s and 30’s, and is considered to be the “Queen of the Harlem Renaissance.” In Holder’s bioplay, she walks the audience through her remarkable life and literary career.
“The play is rich with intimate portraits of her contemporaries, including poet Langston Hughes and novelist Richard Wright, and sparkles with excerpts from her significant works,” according to production notes.
Tickets for the revival can be purchased by visiting castillo.org, or calling (212) 941-1234.
