Horowitz: The Acrobat at Rest

Medicine Show Theatre Ensemble, one of NYC’s longest-running experimental theatres, presents Horowitz: The Acrobat at Rest a new play by Stellios Manolakakis about the life and madness of legendary pianist Vladimir Horowitz. Elias Kasman directs.

The play looks at the life of Vladimir Horowitz, regarded by many as the world’s great pianist. Wildly eccentric and tormented by the parasitic bond with his audience, Horowitz would periodically “retire” from public performance, refusing to leave his house for years at a time. Recognizing the indelible mark her husband was leaving on the classical music scene, his wife Wanda would do whatever it took to cajole him back to the concert stage. Over the years the two sacrificed much for Horowitz’s musical legacy, including sexual identity (Horowitz was widely believed to be gay) and a daughter lost to a possible suicide.