Brits Off Broadway

The critically acclaimed Brits Off Broadway returns to the 59E59 Theaters. This festival of new British plays features innovative, electrifying and inspiring US premieres of 11 shows. The 2005 Brits Off Broadway line up is:

Tuesday, April 5 – Saturday, April 23
When the Bulbul Stopped Singing, adapted by David Greig from the memoir of Palestinian poet, lawyer and writer Raja Shehadeh, directed by Philip Howard.
A harrowing, true account of what it is like to live in the center of a war zone.

Tuesday, April 5 – Sunday, April 24
Deco Diva, written by and starring Kara Wilson
Actress and artist Kara Wilson channels renowned artist Tamara de Lempicka in this theatrical event that will thrill art lovers as well as theater lovers.

Wednesday, April 27 – Sunday, May 22
The People Next Door by Henry Adam, directed by Ian Grieve
A dark comedy about what happens when someone else’s global problem becomes your local one. Or, “If Snoop Dogg wrote an Ealing comedy, this might be it.”

Tuesday, April 26 – Sunday, May 15
Sisters, Such Devoted Sisters, written and performed by Russell Barr
A drop-dead funny, violent and unforgettable solo show about the life of Glasgow transvestite Bernice Hindley, self-styled niece of Myra the famous Moors murderess.

Wednesday, May 11 – Sunday, June 5
The Pull of Negative Gravity by Jonathan Lichtenstein
An electrifying play that deals with the grim realities and fall out from the war in Iraq, as a wounded Welsh soldier returns home.

Tuesday, May 17 – Sunday, June 5
Mortal Ladies Possessed, adapted from Tennessee Williams’ short stories by Matthew Hurt, starring Linda Marlowe
One of England’s great stage actresses brings Williams’ prose heroines — full of desire, full of life, sometimes powerful and always desperate — to life in this haunting and hilarious show.

Tuesday, May 24 – Sunday, June 12
Tabloid Caligula, by Darren Murphy
A hard-edged and hilarious exploration of the mechanics of the criminal underworld.

Tuesday, June 7 – Sunday, June 26
Faster, created and performed by Filter Theater
Inspired by James Gleick’s best-selling book Faster: The Acceleration of Just About Everything, a study of the modern world’s obsession with speed, Faster is an adrenaline-fueled snapshot of our high-octane lifestyles.

Thursday, June 9 – Sunday, June 26
Jackson’s Way, written and performed by Will Adamsdale
American motivational speaker Chris John Jackson celebrates the uplifting effects of pointless behavior. Winner of the Edinburgh Fringe’s Perrier Award for comedy.

Thursday, June 9 – Sunday, July 3
Private Fears in Public Places, written and directed by Sir Alan Ayckbourn
A tale of the misheard, the unspoken and the sadly misunderstood, this new play by Sir Alan Ayckbourn marks the New York premiere of his company from the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough, Yorkshire.

Tuesday, June 14 – Sunday, July 3
Unsuspecting Susan by Stewart Permutt
Celia Imrie (Calendar Girls) makes her US stage debut in this play about the drama, intrigue and scandal that lie beneath the surface of the seemingly tranquil life of a Hampshire housewife.