Los Angeles' Geffen Playhouse has announced the line-up for its 2022-2023 season in the Gil Cates Theater and the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater.
The Gil Cates Theater will open with Matthew López's The Inheritance in its West Coast premiere. The Olivier- and Tony-winning work, directed by Mike Donahue, will play from September 13-November 27. The play follows couple Eric and Toby in contemporary Manhattan as they encounter two other men in a collision of generations through chance meetings. The Inheritance first premiered at London's Young Vic in 2018 before transferring to Broadway in 2019, winning Best Play at the 2020 Tony Awards.
Following The Inheritance will be The First Deep Breath by Lee Edward Colston II and directed by Steve H. Broadnax III. The play's West Coast premiere will run January 31-March 5, 2023. The epic looks at families and how far they will go to hide family secrets by following pastor Albert Jones, who blames his son Abdul-Malik for the death of his daughter Diane. New things come to light when Abdul-Malik returns from prison.
The Cates season finishes with Katori Hall's The Mountaintop, set to run June 6-July 9, 2023. Directed by Patricia McGregor, the play imagines April 3, 1968 and what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s last night could have been like.
One additional production in the Gil Cates Theater will be announced at a later date.
The Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater will open with the world premiere of The Ants by Ramiz Monsef under the direction of Pirronne Yousefzadeh. Running September 6-October 16, the horror play centers on Nami, who ends up trapped with his brother and sister-in-law in their luxury home on a dark and violent night. The Ants was created during the Geffen Playhouse's The Writers' Room program.
Next up is Mindplay, running November-December 18 and also making its world premiere. Created and performed by Vinny DePonto, the play was written by DePonto and Josh Koenigsberg. DePonto, a Drama Desk nominee and mentalist, presents an exploration of the imperfect mind and questions if the voice inside one's head is trustworthy. Andrew Neisler directs the play, which is produced by Eva Price with support from the Edgerton Foundation New Play Production Fund.
Closing out the season is the world premiere of The Lonely Few, featuring a book by Rachel Bonds as well as music and lyrics by Zoe Sarnak, running February 28-April 9, 2023. Tony winner Lauren Patten will play Lila, a woman getting by in her hometown in Kentucky playing local gigs after her shift at the grocery store whose dreams and life change when Amy, an established musician, walks into her life. Tyne Rafaeli directs this love story which was commissioned as part of the Geffen Playhouse's New Play Development Program with support from the Edgerton Foundation New Play Production Fund. The work is being produced in association with FourthWall Theatrical.
For tickets and more information, visit GeffenPlayhouse.org.
