Link Link Circus, Isabella Rossellini’s new monologue play about the link between humans and animals via Darwin’s theory of evolution, opened at the Frederick Loewe Theatre at Hunter College April 22. The production, which also features Rossellini’s dog Pan, is scheduled to run through May 3.
Flip through photos of the opening night:
In Link Link Circus, Rossellini transform herself into Aristotle, Descartes, a medieval theologian, B.F. Skinner, Charles Darwin, and others, while Pan plays various animals, assisted by Andy Byers and Caleb Lane.
“I wanted to study and work with animals my whole life, but then modeling and acting happened, and I never had the opportunity,” Rossellini said. “When I was a little girl and had my little dog, it felt like we understood each other so well. It prompted me then to ask questions about how much animals think and whether they feel emotion. I’m still asking.”
The creative team includes Rick Gilbert (set design, line producer), Andy Byers (set design, costume design, composer), Guido Torlonia (co-director), Bill Berloni (animal director), Fanny Karst (ring leader costumes), Andy Smetanka and Courtney Pure (animation), Gina Freedman (props), Stacey Foster (film and audio clips editor), and Jason L. Miller (technical director).
Rossellini is known for her roles in Blue Velvet, White Nights, Rodger Dodger, Cousins, Death Becomes Her, Fearless, Big Night, and Joy.
