The Pearl Theatre Company has announced its 33rd season; the 2016-17 slate will feature the U.S. premiere of Henrik Ibsen’s Public Enemy in a version by Blackbird playwright David Harrower.
The new season will kick off September 6 with a revival of Shelagh Delaney’s A Taste of Honey, directed by Austin Pendleton. Last seen Off-Broadway in 1981, the play tells the story of a young woman facing an uncertain future and learning that love will see her through. Performances are scheduled to run through October 16.
Ibsen’s Public Enemy, adapted by Harrower, will play September 29-October 29 with direction by artistic director Hal Brooks. In Ibsen’s tale of truth and politics, a doctor tries to clear the air but finds his friends and neighbors poisoned against him.
Spring 2017 will see the world premiere of Vanity Fair, by Kate Hamill, adapted from the novel by William Makepeace Thackeray about the ultimate social climber, with direction by Eric Tucker. Performances are scheduled to run March 24-April 23 and will be followed by a revival of Eugene Ionesco’s absurdist classic Rhinoceros.
“It has been a transformative year for The Pearl. The successes of A Midsummer Night's Dream, Stupid Fu**ing Bird and The Dingdong have shown New York audiences what we’ve long known at The Pearl—there’s always something new to be discovered in timeless stories,” commented Brooks in a statement. “All fours productions in the 2016-17 season speak broadly to the tension between individual desires and the confines of modern society.“
All performances will take place at the Pearl Theater, located at 555 West 42nd Street. Visit pearltheatre.org/ for more information.