This time around, Durang is
back with a new cast of eccen-
tric characters - starting with
Cliff and Salena, whose across-
the-street neighbors are some-
where between peculiar and
stark raving mad. This decid-
edly dark and daring comedy
takes aim at today’s absurd and
dangerous world.
The cast includes Jenn Harris,
Rachel Nicks, Nicholas Podany,
Krisine Neilsen, Robert Sella,
and John Pankow. McCarter
Theatre’s Artistic Director and
Resident Playwright Emily Mann
directs the production.
Mann and Durang have known
each other for a long time and the story of their professional
collaboration and friendship
will be told before each perfor-
mance via a 20-minute talk led
by a member of McCarter’s ar-
tistic staff. The Inside Story, as it
is called, takes place 45 minutes
prior to each performance. It
reveals what inspired Durang to
write the play and the hallmarks
of “Durangian comedy”; Mann’s
directorial vision for the play;
and offers a few things to look
for during the performance.
In a letter to McCarter subscrib-
ers, Emily Mann detailed the
origins of her relationship with
Durang and her thoughts on
Turning Off The Morning News.
“I first met Chris when we were
students in William Alfred’s
playwriting seminar at Harvard,
and I remember Alfred predict-
ing that Chris was going to be
a new voice for his generation,”
recalled Mann. “Chris’s writing was unlike anything I had ever
heard before, and I was amazed
by his brilliance. It was a delight
when we were reconnected
many years later by fellow play-
wright and mutual friend,
Wendy Wasserstein.”
NJ STAGE - ISSUE 46
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