Theater News

A Walk With Mr. Heifetz Joins Primary Stages Season

James Inverne’s historical play will make its world premiere in 2018.

James Inverne's A Walk With Mr. Heifetz will debut next season with Primary Stages.
James Inverne's A Walk With Mr. Heifetz will debut next season with Primary Stages.
(photo provided by Primary Stages)

The world premiere of A Walk With Mr. Heifetz, written by James Inverne (Wrestling With Elephants) and directed by Benjamin Kamine (Washer/Dryer), will play on the Primary Stages Mainstage in January 2018 at the Cherry Lane Theatre. The production will occupy the Mainstage slot previously held for a collaboration with the Sol Project, which will be postponed to allow for further development.

Based on true events, A Walk With Mr. Heifetz is set in 1925, when Jascha Heifetz, the most celebrated violinist in the world, played a concert in pre-Israel Palestine. People flocked from all over the globe to see this performance, including Yehuda Sharett, composer and brother of future Israeli Prime Minister Moshe Sharett. Legend has it that after the performance, Heifetz and Yehuda walked together and shared a remarkable conversation that resonated 20 years later when, in 1945, Moshe echoed Heifetz’s footsteps and navigated a similar exchange with his brother.

Primary Stages' 2017-18 season will also include The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens and Count Leo Tolstoy: Discord, Pride and Prejudice, and Feeding the Dragon.

Dates for A Walk With Mr. Heifetz will be announced in the coming months.