Project Shaw continues to branch out to include playwrights who were instrumental in the formation of Shaw the playwright. Farewell to the Theatre, a short play by one of Shaw’s muses, Granville-Barker, was written in 1916 and, press notes state, “takes a loving look at the theatre, the choices we make, the dreams that obsess us, and the importance of moving on in life against all odds.” Shaw's Interlude at the Playhouse, written in 1907, is set at the “opening night at a grand new playhouse in London. The theatre manager/star of the evening is scheduled to make a speech but he's simply not up to it. Luckily, his put-upon wife is there to coax the audience in the right mood and save the day.”
Both plays features Tony nominees Alison Fraser and Robert Cuccioli.
According to Staller, “Harley Granville-Barker was a major force in the theatre in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Much of our modern approach to Shakespeare we can credit to him. Shaw was greatly inspired by his charm, wit, and scholarly insights, writing several of his most important male roles for him to introduce. These two plays could not be more different in their look at our mad world of the Theatre and, with these two actors in charge, we expect fireworks!”
Tickets, priced $35, are available by calling (212) 864-5400 or online at www.symphonyspace.org.
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For those interested in off-site discourses, each Project Shaw event is followed by a talk-back with cast members. Staller is also hosting a monthly Shaw Club discussion group. They meet the Wednesday before every Project Shaw event at 520 8th Avenue. For reservations, call (212) 355-7823 or email [email protected].
(Updated September 19, 2016)
