MTC to Present Free Streaming Adaptation of The Niceties

Starting May 27, Manhattan Theatre Club in association with The Huntington will present the virtual premiere of Eleanor Burgess's The Niceties, starring original off-Broadway cast members Lisa Banes and Jordan Boatman. The show is free and will be available until June 13. Viewers can sign up to see it here.

In The Niceties, Boatman stars as Zoe, an undergraduate history student at an elite university who has written a paper arguing that the American Revolution was only possible through the oppressive institution of slavery. Her professor (Banes) insists that there aren't enough primary sources to support her thesis. A dispute about research quickly spirals into an argument about race and who gets to tell America's story — and on what social media privacy setting.

Kimberly Senior (Disgraced) directs this tense two-hander that our critic called "as intellectually stimulating as it is blood-boiling."

Burgess has adapted her original script specifically for the virtual stage, with office hours now taking place over Skype. The team includes production design consultant Cameron Anderson, sound designer Emily Auciello, editor Rocco DeSanti, and stage manager Thomas Dieter.

Free tickets are available here.