Theater News

Harvey Fierstein, Nia Vardalos, David Byrne, Lynn Nottage Set for Public Theater Season

The Public has announced its 2016-17 lineup.

Harvey Fierstein will star in Martin Sherman's Gently Down the Stream at the Public Theater.
Harvey Fierstein will star in Martin Sherman's Gently Down the Stream at the Public Theater.
(© David Gordon)

New works from Lynn Nottage (Ruined), Martin Sherman (Bent), David Byrne (Here Lies Love), and more are on tap for the Public Theater's 2016-17 season.

The season kicks off with the previously announced Public Works production of a new musical version of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah and featuring songs by Shaina Taub (September 2-5 at the Delacorte Theatre).

Next up are the second and third works in Richard Nelson's three-play cycle The Gabriels: Election Year in the Life of One Family. Meg Gibson, Lynn Hawley, Roberta Maxwell, Maryann Plunkett, Jay O. Sanders, and Amy Warren will star in both What Did You Expect?, which runs September 10-October 2 under Nelson's direction, and Women of a Certain Age, running from November 4-27.

Corey Stoll (House of Cards) will join Rachel Weisz in the previously announced revival of David Hare's Plenty, which will be directed by David Leveaux. It will run from October 4-November 6.

Nottage's acclaimed drama Sweat, directed by Kate Whoriskey, will have its New York City premiere from October 18-November 20. Another New York premiere, Party People, will be seen November 1-December 4. Written by Mildred Ruiz-Sapp, Steven Sapp, and William Ruiz aka Ninja of Universes, it is directed and developed by Liesl Tommy and choreographed by Millicent Johnnie.

Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) will make her Public Theater debut in her adaptation of Cheryl Strayed's Tiny Beautiful Things, running from November 15-December 18. Thomas Kail (Hamilton) directs the work, which the pair coconceive with Marshall Heyman.

David Byrne's rock musical adaptation of the Joan of Arc story, Saint Joan, will run under the direction of Alex Timbers, from February 14-March 19. Ethan Lipton's The Outer Space, directed by Leigh Silverman, will run from February 24-April 2 at Joe's Pub. It is written and performed by Lipton, Vito Dieterle, Eben Levy, and Ian Riggs.

Tony winner Harvey Fierstein will return to the stage in Martin Sherman's Gently Down the Stream, running from March 14-April 16. Sean Mathias will direct. John Leguizamo's Latin History for Morons, directed by Tony Taccone, closes the season from March 17-April 23.

The Under the Radar Festival will return, as well, from January 4-15.

For tickets and more information about Public Theater productions, click here.

Featured In This Story

Party People

Closed: December 11, 2016

Tiny Beautiful Things

Closed: December 31, 2016

Plenty

Closed: December 1, 2016

Sweat

Closed: December 4, 2016