Widowers’ Houses

In the tradition of their heralded revivals of J.B. Priestley’s Time and the Conways and Ibsen’s Little Eyolf, this new adaptation of George Bernard Shaw’s first play, Widowers’ Houses, re-sets the story one hundred years later in 1992 Harlem, transforming the “houses on Robbins Row” to the “Rosa Parks Houses,” and features a predominantly African-American cast.

In the original play, Shaw twists and mangles the hearts of two idealistic lovers amidst a world of “slumlordery.” The play exposed the class-obsessed nature of Edwardian England and its callousness towards the poor who struggle to build better lives for their families but are given limited housing options that cost “more per square foot than mansions off Hyde Park Corner.” Epic’s adaptation shifts the play to a similar period in New York’s recent history which saw extensive urban renewal in response to a massive housing crisis and the rise of wealth in the African-American business class, but a lack of philanthropic interest in those left behind.

The cast features Peter Jay Fernandez, James Wallert, Rachael Holmes, Jessica Richardson, Godfrey L. Simmons, Jr. and Jacob Ming-Trent.

Scenic Design is by Cameron Anderson, Lighting Design is by Tyler Micoleau, Sound Design is by Ron Russell and Costume Design is by Meg Weedon.